Sunday, September 13, 2015

1975 Profile: Ron Johnson

Running Back
No. 30
Michigan
"In his five-year career with the Giants, Ron has been one of the premier running backs in the NFL, and is well on his way to rewriting the Giants record book in rushing. A No. 1 draft choice of the Cleveland Browns in 1969, he had 472 yards rushing there in his rookie season, then came to the Giants in the key 1970 trade for Homer Jones. Ron hit 1,027 yards his first year with the Giants to set a club one-season record and led the Giants to a 9-5 season, making All-Pro and the Pro Bowl.
In 1971, thigh and knee injuries sidelined him for all but two games, but in 1972 Ron came back for another banner year, rushing for 1,182 yards and again winning All-Pro and Pro Bowl designations. In 1973, despite missing three games with injuries, he added another 902 yards rushing. Then last year he ran into more injury problems- a hamstring pull, a knee injury and a broken hand- and as a result had only 218 yards rushing during the year.
He already holds club marks for most touchdowns in one game (four); rushing yardage in one season (1,182); and rushing attempts in one season (298) and is closing in on all of the other career rushing marks as well. Ron's 14 touchdowns in '72 led the NFC, and that same year his 41 combined attempts in one game set an all-time NFL mark.
Ron was an All-American at Michigan and set several rushing records there, including 2,240 career yards to erase Tommy Harmon's previous mark. He set an NCAA one-game record with 347 yards rushing against Wisconsin and was the Big-10 MVP in 1968 and Michigan MVP in both 1967 and '68.
Ron was born in Detroit and starred at Northwestern High School in the Motor City. He earned a B.S. degree in business administration with a major in finance and has worked in that field during off-seasons. His older brother Alex is an outfielder with the Yankees and a former American League batting champion."

-1975 New York Giants Media Guide

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