Patrick Johnson (wide receiver)

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Patrick Johnson (wide receiver) bigraphy, stories - American football player

Patrick Johnson (wide receiver) : biography

August 10, 1976 –

Patrick Jevon Johnson (born August 10, 1976) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent.

Johnson majored in Journalism and Communications at the University of Oregon from 1994 to 1997, and attended the Craig James Broadcast School in 2000. Mr. Johnson was a two-sport athlete at the University of Oregon, excelling in both football and track, and winning numerous awards and championships during his collegiate athletic career.

A two-sport athlete, Johnson was an Olympic-caliber sprinter before beginning his National Football League career.

Prep

As a senior at Redlands High School in Redlands California, Johnson was All- Citrus Belt League, Honorable Mention All CIF, a member of the Tacoma News Tribune’s Western top 100 list, and team MVP in his only year of playing running back for the Terriers. On the track as a junior, Johnson managed to finish fourth place in the 200-meter final at the California State Track and Field Championships. During his senior campaign, Johnson had over 1000 all-purpose yards as the starting halfback for the Terriers, and was amongst the nation’s elite prep sprinters. Johnson led all national preps in both the 100 and 200 meters for most of the season. Johnson also notched impressive wins at the prestigious prep track and field meets, the Arcadia Invitational (100m), Golden West invitational (100, 200m) and the National Scholastic Outdoor Championships (200m). Later that summer, Johnson represented the United States in the 4×100 m relay at the 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Lisbon, Portugal, garnering a silver medal in the games.

Even though Johnson had signed a letter of intent to play college football at the University of Oregon, he was faced with the tough decision of turning pro in track as a recently graduated high school senior. Doing so would have required him to forfeit all of his collegiate eligibility. Transferring to a football powerhouse, (Oregon was not at the time) or transferring to a collegiate sprinting powerhouse were other alternatives to consider for Johnson, but would have required forfeiting a year of eligibility if he chose that direction. The Ducks track and field brass was only lukewarm at best to the possibility of Johnson participating in track and field while at the University of Oregon, but that quickly changed halfway into his senior track campaign as his times drastically improved from the year before. Johnson nearly relinquished his letter of intent to Oregon, but Johnson elected to continue with his plans to go based on his parent’s plea for him to stay his course.

Collegiate

Johnson attended the University of Oregon where he was not only a member of their college football team but also of their track team.

As a collegiate sprinter at Oregon, he was one of the top sprinters in the nation defeating the legendary Carl Lewis in a 100 m race at the Drake Relays and winning the Pac-10 Championships in the 400 m as a freshman. Johnson was also a two time NCAA All-America in the 100–200 meters in his only full season of competition on the track. Johnson was the pre-season favorite to win the NCAA 400m in his sophomore season and preseason pick to make the Olympic team that summer in 1996. Due to over-training early in the season, Johnson unfortunately had to watch the NCAA Championships from the grandstands that season from his home track, historic Hayward Field. Johnson respectively lost his defense of the Pac-10 400 meter title in 1996 placing second running the race at 80%. Citing the emotional toll of 1996 and the disappointment of missing the Olympics in his home state of Georgia, Johnson quit the team and never stepped on the track again for the Ducks.

Johnson was wingback and halfback in high school, but was converted to wide receiver at the University of Oregon. He was a part of arguably the most critical era in the rebuilding and emergence of the Oregon football program (1994-1997). Johnson managed to start in 8 contests during Oregon’s Rose Bowl campaign in 1994, notching a then freshman record 30 receptions which has since been broken. The Ducks also had appearances in the Cotton and Las Vegas Bowls respectively, where Johnson was the offensive MVP in the latter blowout victory over the Air Force Academy.