The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Derrick Johnson inducted into College Football Hall of Fame
12.05.2023 | Football
Texas Athletics celebrates the many accomplishments of Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Johnson.
The 65th NFF Awards Dinner with the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class can be watched by CLICKING HERE.
LAS VEGAS – One of the greatest defensive players in Texas Football history and a member of an elite group of Longhorns to earn consensus first-team All-American honors multiple times, Derrick Johnson (2001-04) was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023 on Tuesday night. The Nagurski and Butkus Award winner and NFL first-round draft pick will be the 25th Longhorn inducted into the Hall of Fame.
WATCH: Legendary @TexasFootball LB @superdj56 claim his spot in the College Football Hall of Fame#HonoringLegends #HookEm pic.twitter.com/XbtoLDYMxz
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) December 6, 2023
Welcome to the College Football Hall of Fame legendary @TexasFootball LB @superdj56!#HonoringLegends #NFFDinner #HookEm pic.twitter.com/QouVu2puHw
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) December 6, 2023
With the addition of Johnson, 22 Longhorn players have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The others are: Hub Bechtol (1944-46/Class of 1991), Earl Campbell (1974-77/Class of 1990), Doug English (1972-74/Class of 2011), Chris Gilbert (1966-68/Class of 1999), Jerry Gray (1981-84/Class of 2013), Johnnie Johnson (1976-79/Class of 2007), Malcolm Kutner (1939-41/Class of 1974), Bobby Layne (1944-47/Class of 1968), Roosevelt Leaks (1972-74/Class of 2005), Bud McFadin (1948-50/Class of 1983), Bob McKay (1968-69/Class of 2017), Steve McMichael (1976-79/Class of 2009), Tommy Nobis (1963-65/Class of 1981), James Saxton (1959-61/Class of 1996), Harley Sewell (1950-52/Class of 2000), Kenneth Sims (1978-81/Class of 2021), Jerry Sisemore (1970-72/Class of 2002), Mortimer "Bud" Sprague (1923-24/Class of 1970), Harrison Stafford (1930-32/Class of 1975), Ricky Williams (1995-98/Class of 2015) and Vince Young (2003-05/Class of 2019). Three Longhorn coaches – Dana Bible (1937-46/Class of 1951), Mack Brown (1998-2013/Class of 2018) and Darrell Royal (1957-76/Class of 1983) – have also been inducted.
One of Texas Football's most-decorated defensive players in the program's long and storied history, Johnson was the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defensive player) and Butkus Award (nation's top linebacker) as a senior at UT in 2004. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American (2003-04), a two-time finalist and three-time semifinalist for the Butkus Award, as well as a finalist for the Bednarik Award (nation's top defensive player), Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman) and Lott Trophy (defensive player of the year) in 2004. He also finished 12th in the 2004 Heisman Trophy balloting and was listed among the top 10 finalists for the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year, the only defensive player in both of those groups. Johnson was a unanimous first-team All-American selection in 2004 and that year's Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, leading UT to an 11-1 record and a 38-37 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. He also was selected as the 2004 Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year.
From 2001-04, Johnson played in 50 career games (40 starts) during a four-year stretch that saw the Horns win 11 games three times, at least 10 games all four years and post an overall record of 43-8 (27-5 Big 12). UT won three bowl games, finished in the top 12 nationally all four years and among the top six on three occasions. Johnson tallied 458 career tackles (No. 3 on UT's career list at the time), 280 solo tackles (No. 4), 65 tackles for loss (No. 1), 10.5 sacks, 39 QB pressures, 30 pass breakups (UT record for LBs), nine interceptions (UT record for LBs), 11 forced fumbles (T-No. 3) and five fumble recoveries. He started all 12 games as a senior and posted 130 tackles (73 solo), 19 TFLs and an NCAA-record nine caused fumbles. As a junior, he started all 13 games and recorded 125 tackles, 20 TFLs and four interceptions, tying his own UT record for linebackers. In 2002, Johnson started all 13 games and registered 120 tackles, 13 TFLs and picked off four passes – the first time he set the benchmark for Longhorn linebackers. Johnson played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2001, including a pair of starts. He earned National Freshman of the Year and first-team Freshman All-America honors, as well as being named the Big 12 co-Defensive Freshman of the Year and the Defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl.
Johnson went on to be drafted by Kansas City with the 15th overall pick (first round) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played 13 full seasons in the league, all of them with the Chiefs, before finishing his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2018. Johnson signed a one-day contract with Kansas City on May 2, 2019, in order to retire as a Chief. Johnson finished his career as the franchise's all-time leader in tackles (1,262), while adding 14 interceptions, 27.5 sacks and 40 quarterback hits. He played in 188 career NFL games with 170 starts, was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2011 and a four-time Pro Bowler (2011-13, 2015).
After his NFL career, Johnson returned to school to complete his degree at UT. A student in the College of Education, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Youth and Community Studies in the Fall of 2020.
A native of Waco, Texas, Johnson starred at Waco High School, where he was a Parade All-American who once posted 30 tackles in a high school game. He was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2015, was enshrined in the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 2019, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2020, and most recently, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Retired and residing in Austin with his family, Johnson continues to be very active in the community, much like playing days in Austin, as well as the NFL. He founded and currently serves as the director of the Defend the Dream Foundation which provides low-income and inner-city youth the opportunities and resources to reach their full potential in school and in life. The foundation is currently helping transform multiple libraries and elementary schools in the Austin area into reading areas called DJ's Discovery Dens, and he has donated more than 25,000 children's books.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. Johnson was also recognized during the 2023 home-opener against Rice with the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments. His accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.