Charles Johnson obit

Former Eagles wide receiver Charles Johnson dies at 50

The University of Colorado star spent nine seasons in the NFL, including the first two years of Andy Reid's tenure in Philly

 

He was not on the list.

Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Charles Johnson, who played for the team in 1999 and 200, has died at age 50.

The cause of Johnson's death has not been released. He was found dead Sunday in a hotel room in the Raleigh area, ABC11 in North Carolina reported.

Johnson, a California native, played college football at the University of Colorado and was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1994 NFL Draft. He amassed 3,400 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns during his first five seasons in the league, setting him up to sign a five-year, $15 million deal with the Eagles during free agency in 1999.

Johnson and Torrance Small, another free agent signing that offseason, joined the early days of head coach Andy Reid's reign in Philadelphia, replacing wide receivers Irving Fryar and Jeff Graham atop the depth chart from the previous season.

Johnson played with Doug Pederson during the first part of the 1999 season and caught the start of Donovan McNabb's career in Philadelphia. He was the leading wideout on the 2000 team that went 11-5 and reached the divisional round of the playoffs. In his two seasons in Philadelphia, Johnson caught 90 receptions for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns, including seven during the 2000 season.

In 2001, Johnson joined the New England Patriots, where he played a small role on a team that went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI. He finished his career the next season with the Buffalo Bills.

Most recently, Johnson had been working as an assistant athletic director at Heritage High School in Wake Forest. The school shared a message remembering Johnson on Twitter.

The player who was known simply as “CJ” joined the Patriots in 2001, catching 14 passes and a single touchdown. His only season in New England resulted in a Super Bowl victory, the 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams.

Johnson recorded 22 yards in the 2001 AFC Divisional Game against the Steelers on three catches, his only statistics from the Patriots’ magical run that postseason.

The wide receiver also was a noted fan of R&B music, once stating that just like him, the songs pick up pace as time (or in Johnson's case, the season) progresses.

"The music builds up in speed and just keeps on getting faster all the way up to about an hour before the game," Johnson said. "It has to be something that can really get my blood flowing and get my body pumping. Then I go through what I call my Cali phase, or my West Coast music. That starts getting my blood active. After that it is the Florida style, or Atlanta music. That is the fast, upbeat music. I don't know if you want to call it the go-go music, but it is really upbeat and gets you hopping in your seat. You won't see me dancing though. I leave the dancing stuff to the younger guys."

Johnson was selected 17th overall by Pittsburgh in the 1994 draft. He spent five seasons with the Steelers, two with Philadelphia, helped New England win the Super Bowl in the 2001 season and ended his career with Buffalo in 2002.

 

“Words simply can’t explain or identify who C.J. was to many,” said former quarterback Kordell Stewart, Johnson’s Colorado and Pittsburgh teammate. “I’m not sure how to process this properly — we’ve been friends for over 30 years — but just know C.J. will be missed. My heart goes out to Tanisha (his wife), their kids and family. May God bless them and keep them during these trying times.”

In 133 career regular-season NFL games, Johnson had 354 receptions for 4,606 yards and 24 touchdowns.

At Colorado, Johnson was a freshman on the Buffaloes’ 1990 national championship team and finished with 127 receptions for 2,447 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell, who was Johnson’s receivers coach in 1992 and 1993, released a statement Wednesday, saying:

“I was shocked and very distraught hearing the news about CJ. He was a great person, teammate, and had a infectious personality. He wore the pride and tradition of the Buffaloes on his sleeve. One of the best competitors I’ve coached at the WR position. Rest In Peace CJ.”

Johnson starred at Cajon High School in California.