Ellis Johnson

Ellis Bernard Johnson (born October 30, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Johnson played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as the National Defensive Player of the Year. He was selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos of the NFL.

Early life

Johnson was born in Wildwood, Florida in 1973. He attended Wildwood High School, where he played high school football for the Wildwood Wildcats.

College career

Johnson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1991 to 1994. As a senior team captain on the Gators' 1994 Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship team, Johnson was a first-team All-SEC selection, an honorable mention All-American, and CNN's National Defensive Player of the Year; he was also selected by his Gators teammates as the team's most valuable player. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2007.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts selected Johnson in the first round (fifteenth pick overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played for the Colts from to . During those seven seasons, he started eighty-four of 104 games, recording 269 tackles, thirty-three quarterback sacks and two interceptions.

Atlanta Falcons Johnson signed with the Atlanta Falcons before the season, and he played for the Falcons from to . In the two years, he started five of thirty-two games, recording sixty-seven tackles, and fifteen sacks.

Denver Broncos Johnson was traded by the Falcons to the Denver Broncos before the season in exchange for the Broncos' fifth-round selection in the 2005 NFL draft. In his only season with the Broncos, he played in thirteen games, recording sixteen tackles, three sacks and an interception. The interception came on a deflected pass in the famous "snow game" with the Oakland Raiders, and Johnson put on an impressive burst of speed to reach the end zone.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 1995 IND 16 2 18 15 3 4.5 - - - 0 - - 0 0 0 0 1996 IND 12 6 22 14 8 0.0 - - - 0 - - 0 0 0 0 1997 IND 15 15 56 38 18 4.5 - 1 18 0 18 - 1 2 0 0 1998 IND 16 16 55 38 17 8.0 - - - 0 - - 1 0 0 0 1999 IND 16 16 45 34 11 7.5 10 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 2000 IND 13 13 40 29 11 5.0 6 1 -1 0 -1 3 1 0 0 0 2001 IND 16 16 34 20 14 3.5 4 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 2002 ATL 16 2 29 25 4 7.0 8 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2003 ATL 16 3 42 34 8 8.0 8 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 0 2004 DEN 13 0 16 15 1 3.0 5 1 32 1 32 1 0 0 0 0 Career 149 89 357 262 95 51.0 41 3 49 1 32 16 5 4 4 0

Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 1995 IND 3 1 2 2 0 0.0 - - - - - - 0 0 0 0 1996 IND 1 0 6 6 0 0.0 - - - - - - 0 0 0 0 1999 IND 1 1 4 1 3 0.0 0 - - - - - 0 0 0 0 2000 IND 1 1 3 1 2 1.0 0 - - - - - 0 0 0 0 2002 ATL 2 0 2 1 1 0.0 1 - - - - - 0 0 0 0 2004 DEN 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 1 - - - - - 0 0 0 0 Career 9 3 18 12 6 1.0 2 - - - - - 0 0 0 0