Seldom does a player rise to the top of both the academic and athletic world like Ryan Johnson has. His 3.99 GPA, awards and recognitions prove his academic prowess, and his gridiron ability in the Montana State backfield ranks him among the school's best of all-time.
A Pre-Physical Therapy major, Johnson was named the 2001 Verizon Academic All-America of the Year for Division I football (the highest honor the Verizon Academic All-America teams bestow). Twice named to the Verizon Academic All-America First Team, he received the Roland Renne Award, which goes to the outstanding scholar and leader of the 2002 graduating class for MSU. A member of the Dean's List and Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key National Honor Societies, Johnson will likely graduate in December of 2002 with Summa Cum Laude honors.
A 2001 Walter Payton Trophy finalist for the most outstanding player in Division I-AA college football, Johnson set a school record with 1,537 rushing yards en route to Third Team All-America Honors and a Second Team All-Conference selection. Through six games in 2002, he has a conference second-best 653 yards rushing. A three-year starter, Johnson holds MSU all-time career records for attempts (632) and rushing yards (3,207), while ranking second all-time in career rushing touchdowns (25).
On Campus, Johnson is the president of the MSU Chapter of Athletes In Action and Campus Crusade for Christ. A volunteer for ALTA Physical Therapy, he aids fundraising efforts for the Bozeman Muscular Dystrophy Association. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees in physical therapy from the University of Colorado. He currently teaches exercise science related courses as an adjunct professor at Montana State and owns Bozeman Performance, an orthopedic physical therapy practice in Bozeman, Mont.
