32 Facts About Ezra Johnson

Ezra Ray Johnson was born on October 2,1955 and is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 15 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Oilers in the National Football League from 1977 to 1991.

Ezra Johnson earned a spot in the 1979 Pro Bowl after unofficially finishing second, to Detroit Lions Al "Bubba" Baker, with 20.5 sacks in 1978.

Ezra Johnson lost and regained his starting job multiple times during that period.

Ezra Johnson was exclusively used as the third-down pass rush specialist after 1986, and took a leadership role with the team.

Ezra Johnson was released by the Packers in 1988 and played with two seasons with the Colts, and one with the Oilers before retiring in 1991.

Ezra Johnson played college football at Morris Brown College in Atlanta.

Ezra Johnson was projected to go anywhere from the first to fourth rounds prior to the NFL Draft.

Ezra Johnson was drafted as the 28th pick of the first round in the 1977 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.

Ezra Johnson was considered a "gamble pick" for the Packers because of lack of major college experience and his relatively small size for a defensive end.

Ezra Johnson significantly improved in his second year, becoming one of the top defensive ends in the league with his explosivness off the snap and his speed, a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, being the main factors for his success.

Ezra Johnson was rewarded for his efforts by being selected to play in the Pro Bowl and was rewarded with the Packers Defensive Player of the Year award.

In 1979, Ezra Johnson missed seven games early in the season because of a sprained left ankle.

The Packers claimed Ezra Johnson lost his job because of his lack of "size" and low upside.

Ezra Johnson was fined by Starr an unknown amount of money for almost missing a team flight to New York after celebrating his birthday the previous night, misplacing his car keys.

Defensive coordinator John Meyer stated that Ezra Johnson was "playing his best football" since his breakout 1978 season.

Ezra Johnson stated that "eating his mother's cooking" and being "healthy" were the main reasons for his improvement.

Ezra Johnson signed a three-year contract with the Packers at $450,000 a year.

Ezra Johnson had an official career best of 14.5 quarterback sacks in 1983 along with 107 tackles, a team record by a defensive lineman in a single season.

The success didn't last long, as Ezra Johnson started to get hampered with back injuries, which reduced his effectiveness.

In 1984, Ezra Johnson had surgery for a herniated disk, an injury he suffered during training camp, and was known as a potential career-ending injury.

Ezra Johnson missed the first game of the regular season against the St Louis Cardinals and could not fully recover from the injury.

Again he lost his starting job, becoming a third-down pass-rushing specialist, and was credited with seven sacks for the year; the injury forced Ezra Johnson to mull retirement.

Ezra Johnson started all 16 games that year, achieving 9.5 sacks.

In 1986, Ezra Johnson was credited with three and a half sacks as he was used as the designated third-down pass rushing specialist.

Ezra Johnson injured his right knee in 1987, missing 10 of the first 11 games of the season.

Ezra Johnson was released by the Packers on January 8,1988.

At the time of his release, Ezra Johnson was the Packers' all-time leader in sacks with 84.

Ezra Johnson signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 1988 in order to provide experience to a young and inexperienced Colts squad.

Ezra Johnson played in ten games that year, recording three sacks and played in all 16 games the following year, recording 8.5 sacks.

Ezra Johnson joined the Houston Oilers in 1990, where he played in all 16 games, starting three, and was credited with 2.5 sacks.

Ezra Johnson played in 192 games in his career, having officially 55.5 quarterback sacks.

Ezra Johnson was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1997.