Derrick Johnson loved his pro career in Kansas City, but Austin was always home for him. No matter when the Chiefs' season ended, Johnson would be back in the capital of Texas the next day.
 
"I'm a Texan at heart, and being from Waco, my mom is still there, and Austin is only an hour, hour-and-a-half away, and I built a lot of rapport here," Johnson said. "And when you're a Longhorn, those fans teach you right. So, I got addicted to that."
 
So addicted that after stepping foot on campus as a freshman in 2001, he never looked back. Johnson charged ahead, making an impact from Day 1. He helped lift the Longhorns to an 11-win season during his freshman season, the first of three such campaigns during his time at Texas. The 'Horns went 43-8 across his four years, with Johnson upping his game each year. Johnson is now being recognized for that work in the most distinguished way possible, as a College Football Hall of Famer, the 22nd former Texas player to receive the honor.
 
"I knew I had a very fortunate college career, but when you talk about the Hall of Fame, it's an elite class, a small circle of great players when it comes to how many ever played the game," Johnson said. "It's a big, big deal.
 
"I got the (commemorative) ball in the mail, and usually my wife opens up the mail, but this time it had my name on it. I didn't even read the letter, because I knew what the ball meant. I thank God that I was blessed to be chosen."
 
The linebacker was a two-time First Team All-American, consensus in 2003 and unanimous in 2004. His charmed senior campaign also saw Johnson win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award as the top nation's defensive player and top linebacker, respectively.
 
He had the highest finish among all defensive players in that year's Heisman Trophy voting (12th). He earned the Big 12's Male Athlete of the Year Award. And he also created his greatest Longhorn memory.
 
"My last game of the season against Michigan," Johnson said of his top moment, referring to the Rose Bowl. "I feel like every year we were pretty good; we were a 10-win-a-season type of team when I was there. It's not like we weren't ranked high, but my last year we got over that hump as the big dogs and we made it happen.
 
"When it came to finishing Top-5 in the nation and beating Michigan, that put us on the map. And the next year we obviously won a national championship. I wasn't there for that, but it was one of those things where I was a building block and helped the program get there."
 
Watching Texas beat USC in an epic Rose Bowl to win the national title the following year was nevertheless rewarding, given how close he was with most of that year's roster and Coach Mack Brown (a 2018 College Football Hall of Fame inductee) who helped recruit him.
 
"All those guy who won it, that was my senior class," Johnson said. "Only Cedric Benson and I didn't redshirt. My whole class redshirted. They all won, so that was special. It's bittersweet, but at the same time it's more sweet (than bitter) just because those guys built a rapport and camaraderie there that could never be broken."
 
Texas went 27-5 in Big 12 play during Johnson's time in Austin, and the program had three top-six finishes. Johnson is the Longhorns' all-time leader in tackles for loss (65), and his nine interceptions and 30 pass breakups are the best marks by a Texas linebacker. He posted 458 career tackles, 10.5 sacks, 39 quarterback pressures, 11 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. His nine forced fumbles in 2004 were an NCAA record.
 
The Chiefs drafted him 15th overall, and he became the franchise's all-time leading tackler (1,262) across his 13 years in Kansas City. Johnson is back on Texas' campus regularly, helping out with the program however he can.
 
His mother was a schoolteacher for more than 40 years, and her influence has inspired him to give back to children in need. He has five boys and one girl, and he is the director of the Defend the Dream Foundation, which provides low-income and inner-city youth with resources to better their lives. Johnson jokes that he now pours his life into three areas: his kids, his foundation and golf, which he likes to say is more stressful than parenting.
 
"I am loving it (in Austin), and it's a lifelong commitment when you go to the University of Texas, and that tradition runs deep and rich," Johnson said. "It's more comforting to be around Austin and have the platform I have here to impact others in a great manner."
 
UP CLOSE:

• Named a two-time First Team All-American, consensus in 2003 and unanimous in 2004.
• Claimed the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as nation's top defender in 2004 while finishing 12^th in Heisman Trophy voting and as a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Lott IMPACT awards.
• Tallied 458 career tackles, 280 solo tackles, 65 tackles for loss, 30 pass breakups, 10.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles (including nine in 2004, which ties him for most in NCAA history for a single season), nine interceptions, and five fumble recoveries.
• Played for College Football Hall of Fame Coach Mack Brown.
• Becomes the 21st Texas player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.