Hall of Fame
Position: Linebacker
Years: 2001-04
Place of Birth: Waco, Texas
Date of Birth: November 22, 1982
Jersey Number: 11
Height: 6-3
Weight: 245
High School: Waco (Waco, TX)
One of an elite group of Longhorns to earn consensus First Team All-America honors multiple times, Derrick Johnson was a versatile, big-play making linebacker who was a key fixture in helping build the foundation for College Football Hall of Fame Coach Mack Brown's legacy in Austin. The Waco, Texas, native now becomes the 21st Texas player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A two-time First Team All-American, consensus in 2003 and unanimous in 2004, Johnson put together a career for the ages, claiming the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as nation's top defender in 2004. He finished 12th in Heisman Trophy voting and as a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Lott IMPACT awards in 2004. His nine forced fumbles that season place him in a tie for No. 1 in NCAA history for a single season. He was also named the 2004 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and 2004 Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year. In 2003, he became the Longhorns' first consensus First Team All-America linebacker since 1983; was one of three finalists for the Butkus Award; and was named the team MVP. In 2001, he was tabbed the Sporting News National Freshman of the Year, a First-Team Freshman All-American and Big 12 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Texas posted a 43-8 record during his tenure in Austin, and the Longhorns earned four bowl appearances, including a 47-43 win over Washington in the 2001 Holiday Bowl (with Johnson named the Defensive MVP), a 35-20 victory over LSU in the 2003 Cotton Bowl, and a 38-37 victory in the 2005 Rose Bowl against Michigan with future College Football Hall of Fame teammate Vince Young under center. A three-time First Team All-Big 12 performer, Johnson's efforts helped the Longhorns notch three 11-win seasons, while earning impressive final national rankings each of his four years: No. 5 in 2001, No. 6 in 2002, No. 12 in 2003 and No. 5 in 2004.
The two-time UT Defensive MVP tallied 458 career tackles, placing him at No. 3 in the school record books, and his 280 solo tackles rank him at No. 4 on the UT career list. His 65 tackles for loss land him at No. 1 in school annals, and he had 10.5 sacks, 30 pass breakups and nine interceptions, with both the breakups and interceptions being the most by a UT linebacker. He added 11 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries during his time in Austin.
Drafted in the first round (15th overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft by Kansas City, he played with the Chiefs until 2017, becoming the team's all-time leading tackler (1,262). He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times, and he finished his career in 2018 with the Raiders.
His accolades include the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, and Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
He founded and currently serves as the director of the Defend the Dream Foundation in Austin, Texas, which provides low-income and inner-city youth the opportunities and resources to reach their full potential in school and in life. The foundation has helped transform multiple libraries and elementary schools into reading areas called DJ's Discovery Dens, and he has donated more than 25,000 children's books.
