With Les Miles injecting new passion as the KU football coach and the Jayhawks having their first spring game on April 13 under the former national championship coach at LSU, I thought I would include this KU football feature I wrote on Steven Johnson in 2011.
This article was one of the most inspirational stories I’ve ever written on a KU football player. Johnson came to KU as a walk-on, earned a scholarship, and ended up leading the Big 12 in tackles his senior year (120) and was among the nation’s leaders.
After going undrafted, Johnson again overcame adversity and played six years in the NFL while competing in the Super Bowl in 2014 for the Denver Broncos. This hard-hitting linebacker was named a first-team All-Pro selection by Pro Football Focus that year with 39 tackles.
In all, Johnson played in 74 games (seven starts) for his career while recording 47 tackles, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 0.5 sacks. He played for Denver, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Here is that story on Johnson in the November 2011 issue of Kansas City Sports & Fitness.
By David Garfield
It’s past midnight this October evening as Steven Johnson hobbles into Mrkonic Auditorium in Lawrence for postgame interviews after his Kansas Jayhawks fell to the Oklahoma Sooners, 47-17. Johnson is beat up physically, but mentally sharp and ready to watch film this late hour after first answering questions from reporters.
The senior linebacker will see on film that he made 13 tackles, including one for loss with also one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry and his first interception of his collegiate career. Johnson will also see the grit, determination and passion that KU fans have come to expect from this 6-1, 237-pound native of Media, Pa.
If there was one play that epitomized Johnson’s life and Jayhawk career, that was his interception in the fourth quarter with about eight minutes remaining and OU holding a commanding 40-17 lead.
Oklahoma appeared ready to tack on another touchdown and blow this game even more open on KU’s 32-yard-line when quarterback Landry Jones dropped back to pass on second down. But there was Johnson, who had been all over the field this evening, running hard and diving to his right and picking off the short pass from one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
“I’m not going to give up,” Johnson said. “I got a lot of pride, and I’m not going to let anybody run all over me. I don’t care how tired I am. My coaches were trying to take me out and give me a break because they know it’s a long season. I’m like, ‘No, no, don’t take me out.’ I’m out here and I’m going.”
Johnson, who led the Big 12 in tackles at press time in late October and tied for No. 16 nationally with 10.14 stops per game, has never given up since he started playing football at age 5. Always the underdog, he didn’t make the varsity at Strath Haven High School until his senior year, when he led the state in tackles in 2005 with 123 stops.
However, Johnson came on the scene too late to attract college recruiters and wound up attending Wyoming Seminary College Prep School. Then adversity struck again after he tore his ACL and LCL in the fifth game.
Suddenly, Johnson’s dreams of attending college appeared dashed. Some coaches told him he’d never play again, much less compete at a Division I school. But Johnson didn’t listen and jumped at the chance to attend Kansas as a preferred walk-on.
“God is the reason I am here because schools didn’t want me,” Johnson said. “Everybody but Kansas.”
Johnson toiled in anonymity his freshman and sophomore seasons while wondering at one point if he could continue playing at KU and make ends meet without a scholarship.
But Johnson kept working, kept a strong faith and prayed. Then one day at practice just before fall classes started his sophomore year, then-coach Mark Mangino pulled Johnson to the side and told him he had earned a scholarship.
He became overwhelmed with emotion while fighting back the tears in one of the greatest moments of his life.
“I was happy,” Johnson recalled. “I didn’t want to cry on the field because it was practice, but there were tears inside. I worked so hard for so long and for all the hard work to pay off and to finally see the rewards of it, it was just great.”
Johnson, who saw limited action with 10 total tackles his freshman and sophomore years, reaped even more rewards when Turner Gill was hired as head coach after the 2009 season. Johnson impressed Gill from day one and earned a starting nod, where he had a breakout year last season with a team-high 96 tackles.
Johnson credits Gill for reviving his career.
“By him just believing in me was a great deal,” Johnson said, “and I’ll forever thank him for that.”
As good as he was last year, Johnson is even better this season. He is on pace to record over 120 tackles in 2011, the most by a Jayhawk in a season since Nick Reid in 2003. Johnson has posted double-figure tackles in five of seven games while tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (5.0).
“He’s improved in a lot of ways,” Gill said. “He’s gotten better physically. He understands the game better. Coach (Vantz) Singletary and coach (Vic) Shealy have done a great job talking to him and teaching him about what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. (Johnson) has really done a fantastic job; he’s a leader. I hope he gets recognized by the conference as one of the top linebackers.”
The co-captain’s coaches and teammates have great admiration and respect for him — as a young man and as an athlete.
“He’s a great player,” junior safety Bradley McDougald said. “It’s probably going to be a story made about him. He’s one of those guys that you love to root about, just to be faced with the situation as a walk-on and come in and be determined that you’re going to work (and) have nobody that can possibly tell you no. Not only do you get a scholarship but you actually continue to fulfill your dreams and you play up to your level and starting at middle linebacker, that’s awesome.”
As the heart and soul of this Jayhawk team, Johnson feels a special sense of responsibility to be a leader and motivate his teammates. He did just that with a stern message to his defense heading into the Oklahoma game on Oct. 15 after KU had dropped three straight, including allowing 66 points at Georgia Tech and 70 points at Oklahoma State.
“It’s an embarrassment for your family and all the people that came miles and miles to see you play,” Johnson said. “I got in each and every single person’s face. I just told people what they need to improve at, and we went out in practice and really amped it up and started working.”
Despite falling to No. 3 Oklahoma by 30 points, KU’s defense played physical, made stops in the red zone and forced three turnovers. While the Jayhawks (2-5) took a step backwards the following week in a 59-21 loss to K-State, Johnson continues to believe in the team, Gill, and himself.
He’s on a mission to turn the season around and also fulfill his preseason goal of leading the nation in tackles.
“I’ve always wanted to be the best linebacker I could be and just being able to help any team I was on to win championships,” Johnson said. “That was something instilled in me from my parents. I just continue to push myself to be the best I can be.”
Johnson could do it no other way after overcoming great adversity in life to now thriving at KU and on the brink of an NFL career.
“Those challenges made me the person I am today,” he said. “One day if I have kids, I’ll be able to tell them that perseverance is everything, just keep going. When you really go through something and see what happens at the end of it, you can really have hope. ‘Hey, I’ve been through this before, it’s nothing, just keep fighting.’ It ultimately helps you become a better person and better athlete.
“I would never take back anything that happened to me,” he added. “Some people may take the straight road to Division I, but I had to take the back road. It all worked out well.”
Johnson smiles.
“I thank God every day,” he said. “I’m truly blessed to just be out there playing football.”
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