 Rudi Johnson prior to the 2007 Monday Night opener. |
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| No. --32 Free Agent | |
| Running back | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: October 1, 1979 | |
| Place of birth: Petersburg, Virginia | |
| Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | Weight: 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Auburn | |
| NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 4 / Pick: 100 | |
| Debuted in 2001 for the Cincinnati Bengals | |
| Career history | |
As player:
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|
| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008 | |
| Rushing yards | 5,979 |
| Rushing average | 3.9 |
| Rushing TDs | 49 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Burudi Ali "Rudi" Johnson (born October 1, 1979) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. Rudi was born in Petersburg, Virginia approximately 30 miles south of Richmond. His first name "Burudi" is Swahili and means "cool'" and his middle name "Ali" represented his family's respect and admiration for Muhammed Ali. He began playing football at the age of six with the Ettrick Trojans of the Chesterfield Quarterback League. During his high school career, he played both offense and defense for the Thomas Dale Knights under head coach Victor Williams following in the footsteps of Ken Oxendine and William Henderson. During his career, he broke the school's rushing record which was held by his friend, mentor and coach Henry Jefferson. Upon graduation he enrolled at Butler Community College in Eldorao, Kansas joining the same junior college network which produced his NFL teammate Corey Dillon who played earlier for Butler's arch rival Garden City. After completing his Associates Degree at Butler, he was recruited and transferred to Auburn University playing under the coaching staff of Tommy Tuberville and running backs coach Eddie Gran. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
Johnson was selected to the Pro Bowl with the Bengals in 2004 leading the AFC team in rushing.
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A graduate of Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Virginia, attended Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas for two years. As a sophomore, he averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He led Butler to two national Junior college championships one in the Dairy Bowl against Ricks College and the following year against Dixie State College in the Rotary Bowl. He was named MVP of both games. In his final year of Butler , he was named National Junior College player of the year. In one of his most memorable junior college appearances, Rudi scored 7 touchdowns and rushed for 373 yards against Dixie College in the Rotary Bowl championship game. Coach Eddie Gran of Auburn attended that game initially scouting Butler's quarterback Daniel Cobb.
At Auburn University, Johnson finished his career with 324 rushing attempts for 1567 yards (4.84 yards per rush average). His 324 rushing attempts was a school single season record and his 1567 rushing yards were the second-most in the school's history. He had ten games where he rushed for 100 yards or more. He was named SEC player of the year and nominated for the Doak Walker award which was later won by Ladamian Tomlinson. He was a sociology major. His fullback was Heath Evans who would later go onto the NFL as well. NFL running back Ronnie Brown was also a teammate.
Johnson saw little playing time in his first two NFL seasons. He backed up four-time Pro Bowler Corey Dillon, the Bengals leading rusher since 1997, and had just 17 carries and 7 receptions.
Dillon missed much of the 2003 with injuries, and Johnson unexpectedly found himself in the starting lineup. He took full advantage of his opportunity, rushing for 957 yards and 9 touchdowns, while adding another 146 yards on 21 receptions in just 9 games.
After Dillon was traded to the New England Patriots after the 2003 season, Rudi Johnson was named the starter. He did not disappoint, starting every game and setting a franchise rushing record with 1,454 yards. He also scored 12 touchdowns and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad.
Johnson's contributed in 2005 season, in which the Bengals reached the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Johnson shared tailback duties with former University of Michigan running back Chris Perry, the Bengals' first round pick in the 2004 NFL draft. By the end of the season, the Bengals finished with an 11-5 record, the team's first winning season since 1990. Johnson broke his own franchise record with 1,458 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while also recording a career high 23 receptions for 90 yards.
However, during the 2007 season, Johnson missed five games to injury, and he had only one game in which he rushed for over 100 yards. He finished with 497 yards on 170 carries for 3 touchdowns.
In August 2008, it was reported that the Bengals were interested in trading Johnson for a "top receiver" to shore up their battered receiving corps, which would leave Chris Perry as the new feature back and either Kenny Watson or DeDe Dorsey as his backup.[1] Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis denied any trade talks involving Rudi Johnson. "It's a rumor," he stated.[2] However on August 27, Johnson stated he expected to be gone "any minute."[3] After a trade fell through, Johnson was released by the team on August 30 during final cuts.[4]
Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions on September 1, 2008. The Lions released running back Tatum Bell to make room for Johnson. [5] The following day Johnson accused Bell of stealing his luggage although Bell insisted "it was just an honest mistake." [6]
The Rudi Johnson Foundation was established in July 2005. The Foundation provides assistance to families and children to promote self sufficiency and self reliance and incorporates several community based programs. In 2007, James Farrior of the Pittsburgh Steelers joined the effort establishing his own Foundation to assist in this movement. The Foundation helped fund the organization of the first football team for Clark Montessouri High School in Cincinnati.
   | ''RudiJ32.com'' - Rudi Johnson's Official Website - The Official Website Of Rudi Johnson |
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