1. Thomas "Pepper" Johnson was born on July 29,1964 and is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League for 13 seasons, the first seven of which were for the New York Giants.
19 Facts About Pepper Johnson
1. 2.
Pepper Johnson won two Super Bowls with the Giants before playing for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and New York Jets.
3.
In New England he was reunited with Bill Belichick, for whom Pepper Johnson played as a Giant and Brown.
4.
Pepper Johnson spent 14 seasons with the organization, winning three Super Bowls, before leaving the Patriots to work as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills and then the New York Jets.
5.
Pepper Johnson had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Wildcats as their defensive coordinator in 2020, and the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL in 2022.
6.
Pepper Johnson lettered every year from 1982 to 1985, and led the team in tackles in 1984 and 1985.
7.
Pepper Johnson was a team co-captain and named defensive MVP by his teammates in 1984 and 1985, and in 1985 was named as an All-American.
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Pepper Johnson ended his college career with 379 total tackles, 5 sacks, and 12 tackles for loss.
9.
Pepper Johnson was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2001.
10.
Pepper Johnson was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1986 NFL draft.
11.
Pepper Johnson instead joined the Detroit Lions, whom he spent one season with in 1996.
12.
For what would become the final two seasons of his career, Pepper Johnson again re-joined Belichick, who was then serving as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets under Parcells.
13.
Pepper Johnson began his coaching career as an assistant linebackers coach with the Patriots during the 2000 season.
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Pepper Johnson then served as the Patriots' inside linebackers coach from 2001 through 2003, before moving to defensive line coach in 2004.
15.
On January 21,2014, Pepper Johnson announced he would be leaving the Patriots.
16.
On December 18,2018, Pepper Johnson was hired as the defensive line coach for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football.
17.
In 2021, Pepper Johnson was hired as head coach of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
18.
Johnson's nickname of "Pepper" originated from his aunt who noticed Johnson liked to put black pepper on his corn flakes.
19.
Pepper's son, Dionte Johnson was born on June 28,1986 and is a former fullback for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Arizona Cardinals.