Charley Johnson obit

Broncos mourn passing of Ring of Fame QB Charley Johnson

 

He was not on the list.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos have lost a Ring of Famer.

Quarterback Charley Johnson passed away Tuesday at the age of 85, his alma mater New Mexico State announced.

Johnson quarterbacked the Broncos to their first winning season in franchise history, as he guided Denver to a 7-5-2 mark in 1973.

A 1986 Ring of Fame inductee, Johnson played with the Broncos from 1972-75 after being traded to Denver by Houston. According to Johnson's Broncos Ring of Fame bio, "the trade at that time was regarded as the most important in franchise history."

Johnson was chosen by his teammates as the Broncos' most valuable offensive player following the 1973 season, and he earned All-AFC honors from UPI and Pro Football Weekly. A year later, Johnson set a team record for passing accuracy.

The New Mexico State product posted what then represented the second-highest single-game passing yardage total when he threw for 445 yards against the Chiefs in 1974. Johnson posted four 300-yard games during his career.

Johnson finished his career in Denver with 7,238 passing yards and 52 touchdown passes, which rank ninth and seventh in team history, respectively.

In 1986, Johnson entered the Broncos' Ring of Fame alongside quarterback Frank Tripucka and defensive end Paul Smith.

Johnson began his professional career with the St. Louis Cardinals and played nine seasons with the club before being traded to Houston. He then spent a pair of years with the Oilers before joining the Broncos for the final four years of his career.

During his collegiate career, Johnson led the New Mexico State Aggies to back-to-back wins in the Sun Bowl in 1959 and 1960 and was named the game's MVP after both appearances. Johnson led the Aggies to the most successful two-year stretch in program history, and he was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 1970. He is one of two players in the school's history to have his jersey number retired.

Johnson was also inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2010) and the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame (2008).

While playing professional football, Johnson — a member of New Mexico State's Army ROTC — was called into active duty in 1967 and also worked for NASA as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve while an active player.

In his life after football, Johnson worked as the head of New Mexico State's chemical engineering department from 2000-04 and served as the interim coach of New Mexico State's football team in 2010.

A native of Big Spring, Texas, Johnson was born in 1938.

Johnson was a late-round draft pick by both the San Diego Chargers of the AFL and St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL, opting to go to St. Louis. After just 13 attempts his 1961 rookie season, he became the Cardinal's primary starter for the next five years. He was named to the NFL Pro Bowl in 1963 after career-bests 3,280 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns, and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice, on the December 14, 1964 and November 1, 1965. In 1964, he led the league with 223 completions, 420 attempts, 3,045 passing yards, and 24 interceptions. In 1966, he had a league-leading four 4th quarter comebacks. He played back-up to Jim Hart in 1967, and despite starting just two games, again led the league with two 4th quarter comebacks in 1968. He split time with Hart in 1969 before being traded to Houston. There he started 14 games in two seasons (1970–71), before ending his career with a four-year stint in Denver. He started 9 games for the Broncos in 1972, and all 14 games for the 7–5–2 squad in 1973. In 1974, his 14th season, he led the league for the first time in yards per attempt with 8.1. He began his final year with a 90-yard touchdown pass to Rick Upchurch against the Kansas City Chiefs, the only 90+ yard pass that decade by a Bronco. As of 2017, his 16.45 yards per attempt in the game remains a franchise record, and he is a member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.

Johnson appeared as an imposter on the February 14, 1966, episode of the CBS game show To Tell the Truth. He revealed his true identity after receiving one vote.

He retired in 1975 with a 59–57–8 record as a starter, with 1,737 completions (at the time, ranked 13th all-time in professional football) on 3,392 attempts (13th), for 24,410 yards (14th), 170 touchdowns (15th), 181 interceptions (14th) and a passer rating of 69.2 (20th).

Career history

St. Louis Cardinals (1961–1969)

Houston Oilers (1970–1971)

Denver Broncos (1972–1975)

Career highlights and awards

Pro Bowl (1963)

Denver Broncos Ring of Fame

Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Career NFL statistics

TD–INT: 170–181

Passing yards:    24,410

Passer rating:     69.2