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20 Facts About Charley Johnson

1.

Charley Lane Johnson was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League.

2.

Charley Johnson played college football for the New Mexico State Aggies.

3.

Charley Johnson was born in Big Spring, Texas, on November 22,1938.

4.

Charley Johnson was a multisport athlete at Big Springs High School, but did not play football until his senior year.

5.

Charley Johnson initially was set to play football with a scholarship at Schreiner Institute, but the school dropped football the season he arrived.

6.

Charley Johnson then transferred to New Mexico State University, but did so with a scholarship to play basketball instead and had to walk-on to play football there, though he eventually won the starting job at quarterback.

7.

Charley Johnson is a member of the NMSU Sports Hall of Fame, and was the first player in the history of the NMSU football program to have his jersey number retired.

8.

Charley 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.

9.

Charley Johnson 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.

10.

Charley Johnson played backup to Jim Hart in 1967, at least in part because of military service required of Johnson.

11.

Charley Johnson's teammates named him the Broncos Most Valuable Player, and he was selected for first-team All-AFC honors by Pro Football Weekly and United Press International.

12.

Charley Johnson 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.

13.

Charley Johnson has received the following awards and honors, among others;.

14.

An engineering major at NMSU, Charley Johnson obtained his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering with a 4.0 GPA in 1961.

15.

Charley Johnson continued his academic pursuits and obtained master's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from Washington University in St Louis while playing in the NFL, obtaining his Ph.

16.

Charley Johnson was deemed unfit for combat, but was stationed with and worked for NASA as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve for two years, while simultaneously playing for the Cardinals and working on his doctoral studies.

17.

Charley Johnson then became a professor in the department until his retirement in May 2012.

18.

Charley Johnson was briefly the interim head coach of the NMSU football team during the off-season, following the firing of Hal Mumme in January 2009.

19.

Charley Johnson appeared as an imposter on the February 14,1966, episode of the CBS game show To Tell the Truth.

20.

Charley Johnson revealed his true identity after receiving one vote.