NFL’s original shutdown corner, Fresno County legend Jimmy Johnson, dies at 86

Jimmy Johnson, who grew up in Kingsburg and went on to become one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history, died Wednesday night at age 86, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced.

Johnson played 16 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s preceding his 1994 enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Known as “The Lonesome Cornerback” because opponents rarely threw to his side of the field, Johnson was one of the NFL’s original shutdown corners. He started 205 games with the 49ers and recorded 47 interceptions, second only in franchise history to Ronnie Lott. His 213 games played with the franchise trail only Jerry Rice (238).

Contemporaries said Johnson could have recorded many more interceptions, except for one problem: Opposing quarterbacks rarely gave him the opportunity.

“Jim doesn’t receive much publicity because the opposition avoids him as much as possible,” 49ers quarterback John Brodie said during their careers. “Talk to veteran quarterbacks like John Unitas and Bart Starr, and they’ll tell you they call few pass patterns in Jimmy’s area.

“The only reason Johnson doesn’t lead the league in interceptions is he doesn’t get the chance.”

Johnson was the younger brother of Rafer Johnson, the 1960 Olympic decathlon gold medalist. Rafer Johnson died in 2020, also at 86.

Born March 31, 1938, in Dallas, Jimmy Johnson moved to Fresno County as a young boy with his family. The Johnson brothers starred in multiple sports at Kingsburg High before each went on to standout football and track careers at UCLA, Jimmy following in Rafer’s footsteps.

“I’ve gotten more benefit from being Rafer’s brother than I can begin to tell you,” Jimmy Johnson told The Fresno Bee in 1994. “He’s been my shining light, the person that I’ve looked up to. Most people, if they want an autograph of their sports hero, have to send (it) off somewhere. I had my hero living with me.”

While Rafer dominated the decathlon, Jimmy won an NCAA championship in the 110 high hurdles while long jumping 25 feet. He was a two-way starter for the UCLA football team, lining up at wingback and defensive back.

When the 49ers selected Jimmy Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, their first thought was to make him a receiver. He finished as the team’s second-leading pass catcher in 1962 before a spate of cornerback injuries in 1964 forced his conversion to defense.

Johnson instantly became a fixture at cornerback until he retired in 1976 at 38 years old. The 49ers thought so highly of him that they retired his No. 37 jersey the following year.

“Jimmy Johnson was extraordinarily athletically talented. The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said. “Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished. The notion that a ‘lockdown’ cornerback could cut the field in half for the opposition was true with Jimmy.

“Only rarely would other teams’ quarterbacks even look his direction, and more often than not regretted the decision if they challenged him.”

Introducing his brother for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Rafer Johnson said: “Jimmy is a quiet man, but he played with determination and commitment. Most of all, Jim was and is a gentle man and a true gentleman.”

In addition to his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson is a member of the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame (1978), Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (1990), UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (1992) and a charter member of the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame (2009). He was a two-time recipient of the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers’ highest honor and one voted on by the players.

Johnson died Wednesday night at home in the San Francisco Bay Area and had been in declining health for some time, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s statement said.