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| HOME > THE TEAM > LARRY JOHNSON #27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 LARRY JOHNSON #27
Pro CareerRuggedly intense competitor looks to bounce back from an injury-shortened 2007 and restore his reputation as one of the NFL’s most dominant running backs … Possesses a genuine appreciation for some of the game’s all-time great running backs and has been flattered by comparisons that have likened his running style to a mix of Jim Brown’s power and Walter Payton’s athleticism … Punishing two-time Pro Bowler started eight games in 2007 before a foot injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season … Sustained that injury when he was tackled by LB A.J. Hawk in the fourth quarter of a contest vs. Green Bay (11/14/07) ... Still managed to set the club career record for 100-yard rushing games with 27, passing RB Priest Holmes (24) for the top total in franchise history … Also moved into third place on the Chiefs all-time rushing yardage chart with 4,764 yards, needing just 94 more to bypass RB Christian Okoye (4,857) for second and 1,307 yards to supplant Holmes as the top rusher in Kansas City annals … Clearly established himself as one of the NFL’s top ball carriers by piling up back-to-back 1,750-yard rushing campaigns in 2005-06 … After posting a Chiefs single-season record 1,750 rushing yards in just nine starts in 2005, topped that effort with a remarkable 2006 campaign … Opened all 16 games en route to breaking his own franchise record with 1,789 rushing yards … Also posted an NFL single-season record 416 carries, breaking the previous mark established by Atlanta RB Jamal Anderson (410) in ‘98 … Despite opponents often putting as many as nine players in the box, the bruising runner finished second in the NFL in rushing, trailing only San Diego RB LaDainian Tomlinson (1,815) ... Joined L.A. Rams RB Eric Dickerson (’83-84) and Denver RB Terrell Davis (’97-98) as only the third player in NFL history to produce 1,750 or more rushing yards in back-to-back seasons … The Chiefs are 21-6 (.778) in contests when Johnson tops the 100-yard barrier … Accumulated 1,958 rushing yards in his first 16 starts, the best total in NFL history by a RB since ‘70 … A true workhorse, ranked third in the NFL with 2,199 yards from scrimmage on 457 total attempts in 2006 … Has shown an undeniable ability to find the end zone with 56 career TDs (50 rushing, six receiving), a tally that already ranks fifth in franchise history … Has averaged 1.00 total TD per game during his career, a figure topped in NFL history by only Tomlinson (1.17) and RB Jim Brown (1.07) ... Registered 30 rushing TDs in his first 20 starts, shattering the previous NFL record owned by RB Earl Campbell (21) ... Scored 36 consecutive rushing TDs for the Chiefs over a two-year span (11/6/05 - 11/4/07), the longest streak by the same player on the same team in league history … Posted a Kansas City single-game record 39 carries for 155 yards to go along with four touchdowns vs. Seattle (10/29/06), winning his fourth career AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award in the process … Owns the two biggest rushing games in club history, including a franchise-record 211-yard performance at Houston (11/20/05) and a 201-yard effort vs. Cincinnati (1/1/06) ... Developed his deep admiration for Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Earl Campbell, Ollie Matson, Lenny Moore and Marion Motley while watching hours of NFL Films tapes provided by his father – Larry Johnson, Sr. – who is entering his 13th season as an assistant coach at Penn State … Possesses an angry on-field demeanor and plays the game with the mentality of a linebacker, often initiating the contact with would-be tacklers … Frequently opts to simply run over defenders, but can quickly break away from the pack once he hits the open field … Possesses tremendous power and strength, attributes that often wear down opposing defenses … Seemingly gets stronger as the game progresses, providing the perfect hammer to close out games and chew up the clock in the fourth quarter … Equally adept at catching the ball out of the backfield, has averaged nearly 35 receptions per season over the last three years … Former first-round draft pick in 2003 (27th overall), is second in team annals with 50 rushing TDs, trailing only Holmes (76) ... Ranks ninth on the club’s career scoring chart with 336 points, needing just 64 more points to become the sixth member of the franchise’s 400-point club … Ranks fourth in Chiefs history with 1,177 career rushing attempts, needing just 396 more to overtake Holmes (1,572) for the club’s all-time lead … Has averaged 4.54 yards per carry, the third-best career mark in franchise annals … In both 2005 and 2006 was voted by his teammates as the Derrick Thomas Award winner as the Chiefs MVP … Earned first-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press and All-AFC accolades from Pro Football Weekly in 2006 … First assumed a full-time starting role vs. Oakland (11/6/05), becoming an instant hero in that contest, rushing for 107 yards with two TDs, including the game-winning score on a one-yard dive as time expired in a 27-23 victory … Quite simply enjoyed the greatest late-season surge in league annals down the stretch in 2005, as his 1,351 rushing yards in games played on or after November 1st were the highest mark by any player in NFL history … Ranked first in the AFC and third in the NFL with 1,750 rushing yards in 2005 … Led the AFC and finished second in the NFL with 2,093 yards from scrimmage … Accumulated 20 rushing TDs, the third-highest seasonal tally in team history … His 126 points were second behind Seattle RB Shaun Alexander (168) for the most points in the NFL among non-kickers … Posted 100-yard outings in all nine of his starts to finish out the season, shattering Holmes’ previous team record of five consecutive 100-yard outings and tying the third-longest stretch in NFL history … First revealed his exciting potential at the NFL level when he produced a string of three straight 100-yard rushing games down the stretch of the 2004 campaign, beginning with a 118-yard effort at Oakland (12/5/04) ... Sparkled on the NFL’s biggest regular season stage when he was selected the Monday Night Football Player of the Game and had his picture affixed to the MNF “horse trailer” after racking up 104 yards and two TDs on just seven carries at Tennessee (12/13/04) ... Stepped into a starting role for the final three games of the 2004 season – filling in for an injured Holmes and RB Derrick Blaylock – and did not disappoint … Has played in 56 games (36 starts), rushing 1,050 times for 4,764 yards (4.5 avg.) with 50 touchdowns and catching 127 passes for 1,219 yards (9.6 avg.) and six TDs … Also has one special teams tackle and two pass attempts … In one postseason start, carried the ball 13 times for 32 yards (2.5 avg.) and caught five passes for 29 yards (5.8 avg.).Transactions: Signed a five-year contract extension with Kansas City (8/21/07) ... Signed a seven-year contract with Kansas City (7/17/03) ... Drafted in the first round (27th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft … The Chiefs obtained Pittsburgh’s first-round pick (27th overall - used on Johnson), third-round pick (92nd overall - used on CB Julian Battle) and sixth-round pick (200th overall - subsequently traded to the N.Y. Jets) in exchange for the Chiefs first-round pick (16th overall - used on S Troy Polamalu). 2007Started eight games at RB … Was inactive for seven contests with a right foot injury … Had 158 rushes for 559 yards (3.5 avg.) with three TDs and 30 receptions for 186 yards (6.2 avg.) with a TD … Also had one pass attempt … Carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards and caught seven passes for 44 yards at Houston (9/9) ... Carried the ball 25 times for 123 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards at San Diego (9/30). It marked his 25th career 100-yard game, giving him sole possession of the Chiefs record in that department. Moved ahead of RB Ed Podolak (4,451) for third in Chiefs history in career rushing yards … Recorded 31 rushes for 119 yards with a TD and two receptions for 24 yards vs. Cincinnati (10/14) ... Rushed 24 times for 112 yards, including a career-long 54-yard run with one TD and caught six passes for 21 yards to go with a pass attempt at Oakland (10/21) ... Posted 19 carries for 53 yards with a TD and three receptions for 42 yards with a TD vs. Green Bay (11/4). Left the game in the fourth quarter with a right foot injury when he was tackled by LB A.J. Hawk … Was inactive vs. Denver (11/11) with that injury suffered vs. Green Bay (11/4), breaking his streak of 33 consecutive starts … Was inactive at Indianapolis (11/18), vs. Oakland (11/25), vs. San Diego (12/2), at Denver (12/9), vs. Tennessee (12/16) and at Detroit (12/23) ... Was placed on injured reserve on December 26th.2006Started all 16 games at RB … Earned second straight Pro Bowl nod, joining RB Priest Holmes as just the second running back in Chiefs history to earn that distinction in two straight seasons … Received first-team All-Pro honors from AP … Won the 2006 Derrick Thomas Award as the Chiefs MVP, becoming the third straight player to claim the award in consecutive seasons … Produced a team-record 416 carries for 1,789 yards (4.3 avg.) with 17 TDs and 41 catches for 410 yards (10.0 avg.) with two TDs … Also had one pass attempt … His 1,789 rushing yards were the highest seasonal total in Chiefs history … His 416 rushing attempts were the best single-season total in NFL history, bypassing the previous mark of 410 set by RB Jamal Anderson in ‘98 … His 457 attempts from scrimmage were the top single-season mark in team history … Was second in the AFC and third in the NFL, averaging 137.4 yards from scrimmage per game … Ranked second in AFC and third in NFL with 2,199 yards from scrimmage … His 2,199 yards from scrimmage were the second-best single-season total in Chiefs history … Finished second in the NFL with 1,789 rushing yards … Led the NFL with a franchise-record 11 100-yard rushing games … His 112 first downs were first in the NFL … His 114 points were second in the NFL among non-kickers … Was second in the NFL with both 17 rushing TDs and 19 total TDs … Rushed 17 times for 68 yards vs. Cincinnati (9/10), snapping his streak of nine consecutive 100-yard rushing games … Carried the ball 27 times for 126 yards and caught five passes for 41 yards at Denver (9/17) ... Rushed 30 times for 101 yards with two TDs and added four receptions for 41 yards vs. San Francisco (10/1). It was his 15th career 100-yard rushing day to pass RB Christian Okoye for second in team history … Posted 16 carries for 36 yards and six receptions for 106 yards with a nine-yard TD at Arizona (10/8). Had a career-long 78-yard catch to set up the game-winning FG … Recorded 28 carries for 132 yards with two TDs and two receptions for 29 yards vs. San Diego (10/22) ... Rushed a career-high 39 times for 155 yards with three TDs and caught two passes for 26 yards with a TD vs. Seattle (10/29) to win AFC Player of the Week honors. Established Chiefs single-game records for rushing attempts (39) and total attempts from scrimmage (41), breaking the previous record of 38 (38 rushes, 0 receiving) set by Okoye at Green Bay (12/10/89). Scored 24 points and four TDs, tying for the second-highest single-game point and TD total in team history … Toted the ball 27 times for 172 yards with a one-yard TD at St. Louis (11/5) and was named the NBC Football Night in America Player of the Day … Carried the ball 31 times for 154 yards with two TDs vs. Oakland (11/19). Joined Holmes as the only other player in Kansas City history to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons … Recorded 34 carries for 157 yards with a one-yard TD and one reception for six yards vs. Denver (11/23) ... Rushed 28 times for 110 yards and caught two passes for 26 yards at Cleveland (12/3) ... Carried the ball 23 times for 120 yards and added one catch for four yards vs. Baltimore (12/10) ... Produced 31 carries for 135 yards with a one-yard TD at Oakland (12/23). Recorded his 383rd rushing attempt on the season, bypassing the previous Chiefs single-season record of 370 established by Okoye in ‘89. Also set a team single-season record with 419 attempts from scrimmage, surpassing the previous mark of 394 set by Holmes in 2003 … Rushed 33 times for 138 yards with three TDs and caught five passes for 22 yards to go with one pass attempt vs. Jacksonville (12/31). Recorded his 416th rushing attempt of the season to surpass RB Jamal Anderson (410 in ‘98) for the best seasonal total in NFL history. Also established the top single-season rushing total in Chiefs history with 1,789 yards. It was his second game of the season and the fifth of his career with three or more rushing TDs.2005Saw duty in 16 games (nine starts) at RB … Was named to his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first running back drafted by the Chiefs to earn that honor since RB Christian Okoye following the ‘91 season … Won the Derrick Thomas Award as the Chiefs MVP … Was a second-team All-Pro selection by AP and was named All-AFC by Pro Football Weekly … Rushed 336 times for 1,750 yards (5.2 avg.) with 20 TDs … Also had 33 receptions for 343 yards (10.4 avg.) with a TD … Ranked first in the AFC and third in the NFL with 1,750 rushing yards … Had 1,351 rushing yards, 16 rushing TDs and 1,627 yards from scrimmage after November 1st, the most in the NFL during that time period … Those 1,351 rushing yards and 1,627 yards from scrimmage on or after November 1st were the highest mark by any player in NFL history … Tied for first in the NFL with N.Y. Giants RB Tiki Barber with a 5.21-yards per carry average (min. 150 carries) ... Paced the AFC and was second in the NFL with 2,093 yards from scrimmage, trailing only Barber (2,390) ... His 126 points were second behind Seattle RB Shaun Alexander (168) for the most points in the NFL among non-kickers … Was first in the AFC and second in the NFL with 47 carries of 10+ yards … Had a league-high nine TD runs of 10+ yards … His 10 100-yard rushing games were second in the NFL … Earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for November and also for games played in December/January, becoming the first Chiefs player to win the award twice in one season and the first player in the NFL to win back-to-back AFC Player of the Month accolades since ‘98 when both N.Y. Jets QB Vinny Testaverde and Denver RB Terrell Davis pulled off the feat … Carried the ball nine times for 110 yards with two TDs vs. the N.Y. Jets (9/11). It was his sixth straight game with at least two total TDs dating back to a contest at Oakland (12/5/04), the second-longest streak in NFL history behind RB John Riggins’ mark of seven contests … Recorded nine carries for 41 yards with a TD at Oakland (9/18), his eighth straight game with a rushing TD, the second-longest streak in team history … Recorded 22 rushes for 107 yards with two TDs, including the game-winning TD on a one-yard dive as time expired in his first start of the season vs. Oakland (11/6). Also had three receptions for 48 yards, including a 36-yard catch with 0:05 left to move the ball to the one-yard line to set up the game-winning score … Rushed 27 times for 132 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards at Buffalo (11/13) ... Carried the ball 36 times for a team-record 211 yards with TD runs of 23 and one yard to go with a six-yard reception at Houston (11/20) to win AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 211 rushing yards eclipsed the previous mark of 200 rushing yards established by RB Barry Word vs. Detroit (10/14/90). His 211 rushing yards were the second-best single-game total in the NFL in 2005. Topped the 100-yard rushing barrier in the first half for two consecutive weeks, becoming the first NFL player since RB Kevin Jones (12/5/04 - 12/12/04) to have 100-yard rushing efforts in the first half of back-to-back games. Also became the first player in Chiefs history to accomplish that feat … Rushed 31 times for 119 yards with a one-yard TD and caught five passes for 53 yards vs. New England (11/27) ... Named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November when he produced 116 carries for an NFL-high 569 yards (4.9 avg.) with five TDs and four consecutive 100-yard games. Added 14 receptions for 153 yards … Carried the ball 30 times for 140 yards with two TDs vs. Denver (12/4). Became the eighth player in Chiefs history to a register a 1,000-yard rushing season, eclipsing that mark on a four-yard run in the first quarter … Recorded 26 rushes for 143 yards with a career-high three TDs (11, one and 21 yards) at Dallas (12/11) ... Rushed 31 times for 167 yards with two TDs (14 and one yard) and added two catches for 17 yards at the N.Y. Giants (12/17) ... Recorded 32 carries for 131 yards with a four-yard TD and added four receptions for 48 yards with a 28-yard TD vs. San Diego (12/24) to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season … Carried the ball 26 times for 201 yards with three TDs vs. Cincinnati (1/1/06) to win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award for the second straight week. Became the first Chiefs player to win the honor three times in the same season since QB Joe Montana did it four times in ‘93. Was the first player in Chiefs history to win the award in back-to-back weeks and became the first player in the NFL to do it since N.Y. Jets QB Chad Pennington in 2002. Was also named the FedEx NFL Ground Player of the Week … Established the best rushing yardage total in three consecutive games in franchise history with 499 yards (167 at N.Y. Giants, 131 vs. San Diego and 201 vs. Cincinnati), breaking his previous mark of 470 yards set earlier in the season … Set the best two-game rushing total in Chiefs history with 332 yards (131 vs. San Diego and 201 vs. Cincinnati) ... Named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for regular season games played in December and January after rushing 145 times for 782 yards (5.4 avg.) with 11 TDs and catching 13 passes for 123 yards (9.5 avg.) with a TD.2004Played in 10 games on special teams and in eight games on offense with three starts … Was inactive for two games … Produced 120 carries for 581 yards (4.8 avg.) with nine TDs and 22 receptions for 278 yards (12.6 avg.) with two TDs … Joined RBs Derrick Blaylock (eight TDs) and Priest Holmes (14 TDs) to give the club three players with at least eight rushing TDs in a season for the first time in franchise history … Carried the ball 20 times for 118 yards with a five-yard TD run to register his first career 100-yard rushing game at Oakland (12/5). Also caught three passes for 56 yards, getting his first career receiving TD on a 10-yard pass from QB Trent Green. Finished the game with 174 yards from scrimmage … Rushed seven times for 104 yards with two TDs at Tennessee (12/13). Scored on TD runs of 41 and 46 yards to become the first Chiefs player to record two rushing TDs from 40+ yards in the same game. His 46-yard TD was the longest TD run by a Chiefs RB since Barry Word had a 53-yard run vs. Detroit (10/4/90) ... Started his first career NFL game vs. Denver (12/19), carrying the ball 30 times for 151 yards with two TDs. Became the first Chiefs RB to register three consecutive 100-yard rushing games since RB Priest Holmes did it in five straight games in 2002 … Rushed 25 times for 79 yards with two TDs and caught four passes for 43 yards vs. Oakland (12/25). It marked his third straight multi-TD rushing game and his fifth straight game with a rushing score … Carried the ball 17 times for 46 yards with a TD and produced a career-high eight catches for a personal-best 115 yards with a TD for his first career 100-yard receiving game at San Diego (1/2/05).2003Saw action in six games and was inactive for 10 contests … Carried the ball 20 times for 85 yards (4.3 avg.) with one TD … Also had a two-yard reception and a special teams tackle … Played in his first NFL game at Houston (9/21), rushing six times for 25 yards … Rushed seven times for 26 yards and scored his first NFL TD vs. Chicago (12/28) on a zig-zagging five-yard run that began left, went right and culminated with a dive into the end zone … Was inactive for the club’s AFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Indianapolis (1/11/04).College BioSaw duty in 46 games (18 starts) during his career at Penn State, recording 460 carries for 2,953 yards (6.4 avg.) with 26 TDs … Hauled in 65 passes for 681 yards (10.5 avg.) with seven scores … Added 59 kickoff returns for 1,347 yards (22.8 avg.) with one TD, as well as three punt returns for 64 yards (21.3 avg.) ... Blocked two punts and scored TDs on blocked punt returns of 15 and 40 yards … Finished his career at Penn State as the fifth all-time leading rusher in Nittany Lions history, trailing only Curt Warner (3,398), Blair Thomas (3,301), Curtis Enis (3,256) and D.J. Dozier (3,227) ... Racked up 5,045 all-purpose yards to break the previous Penn State record of 4,982 set by Warner … Amassed 1,347 kickoff return yards during his stay at Penn State, the second-highest total in school history … Played in 13 games (12 starts) as a senior in 2002, leading the nation in rushing with 271 carries for 2,087 yards (7.7 avg.) with 20 TDs, good for an average of 160.5 yards per game … Hauled in 41 receptions for 349 yards (8.5 avg.) with three scores … Added 11 kickoff returns for 219 yards … Piled up 2,087 rushing yards in his final collegiate season, making him just the ninth player in NCAA Division I history to top the 2,000-yard rushing plateau … Shattered the school single-season rushing record of 1,567 yards set by Lydell Mitchell in ‘71 …Became the first player in college football annals to lead the nation in rushing and all-purpose yardage (2,655) in the same season … Posted four 200-yard games as a senior … Won the Doak Walker Award, as well as the Walter Camp and Maxwell Club Player of the Year Awards … Finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting … Was a consensus first-team All-America selection, the Chevrolet National Offensive Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten pick … Carried 28 times for a school single-game record 327 rushing yards with four TDs vs. Indiana … Played in 11 games (five starts) as a junior in 2001, leading the team with 71 carries for 337 yards (4.7 avg.) and two TDs … Also snared 11 receptions for 136 yards (12.4 avg.) with a pair of TDs… Returned 17 kickoffs for 454 yards (26.7 avg.) with one TD and also scored on a pair of blocked punts … Appeared in all 12 games (one start) as a sophomore in 2000 … Ranked second on the team with 75 carries for 358 yards (4.8 avg.) and three TDs … Also caught nine passes for 122 yards (13.6 avg.) with a TD and returned 18 kickoffs for 444 yards (24.7 avg.) ... Saw reserve duty in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in ‘99, rushing 43 times for 171 yards (4.0 avg.) with one TD … Also caught four passes for 74 yards (18.5 avg.) and hauled in a 60-yard TD pass the first time he ever touched the ball vs. Arizona … Added 13 kickoff returns for 230 yards (17.7 avg.) ... Redshirted as a true freshman in ‘98 … Earned a degree in Integrative Arts at Penn State.Personal Bio• Ran for 2,159 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior at State College Area High School in State College, Pennsylvania.• Also played DE, recording 31 tackles and 7.0 sacks as a senior when he earned honorable mention All-America honors from USA Today. • Was also a second-team all-state selection his senior year and was named Allegheny Conference Player of the Year in ‘97. • His 374 rushing yards against Punxsutawney High School set a school record. • Comes from a Penn State athletic family. His father Larry, Sr. is the Nittany Lions defensive line coach. His brother Tony was a wide receiver for Penn State (2000-03) and spent time in the NFL with San Francisco and Minnesota in 2004. • His sister Teresa played third base on the Penn State softball team (2001-02). • Received the 2007 Pop Warner Inspiration to Youth Award as a great contributor to the Pop Warner Little Scholars Football program. • Hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for 1,000 children on the Chiefs practice fields the past two years. • Established “L.J’s Legacy and Growth Youth Foundation” in 2005 to enhance the lives of youth and to promote youth development. The foundation works closely with ReStart and the Justice Department. • Serves as a spokesperson for INOBTR.org, a national campaign for keeping kids safe online. • Became the first player in the NFL to adopt the Junior Player Development program. The Kansas City Missouri School District has used the Junior Player Development program from 2004-06 for their middle school football program. Johnson served as a volunteer coach in the program each week. • Full name: Larry Alphonso Johnson. • Resides in Leawood, Kansas. Larry Johnson in the News4/2/2007 12:18:41 PM - Chiefs RB Larry Johnson to Ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell 10/31/2006 2:25:57 PM - Johnson Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week 1/6/2006 4:30:00 PM - GREEN AND JOHNSON SWEEP FEDEX NFL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS 1/5/2006 10:09:15 AM - JOHNSON NAMED AFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR SECOND STRAIGHT TIME 12/1/2005 8:03:18 AM - JOHNSON NAMED NOVEMBER'S AFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH 11/22/2005 4:56:22 PM - JOHNSON WINS FIRST AFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR |
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