The Tennessee Titans announced ahead of the weekend that the team would be inducting legendary running back Chris Johnson into its ring of honor in the near future. The ceremony is set to take place on Sunday, Sept. 13.
That is the same day the Titans open the regular season against the New York Jets in Nissan Stadium. Johnson will be the 20th former Titan to earn the honor.
The team’s controlling owner, Amy Adams Strunk, released a statement ahead of the event honoring Johnson.
“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” Strunk said. “His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration. We look forward to welcoming him home on Sept. 13 and officially inducting him into the Titans Ring of Honor.”
The news comes on the heels of Johnson’s tragic ALS diagnosis that shook the NFL community. Johnson is not only one of the best Titans players in history, he is also among the best running backs to ever play in the league.
Former Titans RB Chris Johnson’s Legacy Is Something We’ll Never Forget
Johnson, originally selected by the Titans at No. 24 overall in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of East Carolina, left his mark on the field in a way few players in history have achieved. Johnson spent over half of his 10-season career with the Titans (six seasons), before spending one season with the New York Jets and three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals ahead of his retirement from professional football.
Over the course of that decade, Johnson played in 130 games, carrying the ball 2,163 times for 9,651 yards. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry, hitting the end zone 55 times. He also played a role in the passing game from time to time, recording 307 catches on 424 targets for 2,255 yards. Johnson averaged 7.3 yards per reception with nine touchdowns.
Johnson hit the highest points of his career by a long shot in Tennessee, though. He collected multiple accolades in Nashville, hence his nickname of “CJ2K”.
The rusher recorded the seventh-highest single-season rushing total when he ran for 2,006 yards in 2009. That, paired with his 2,509 scrimmage yards in the same season, set an NFL record and made him the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Chris Johnson Continues His Brave Battle Against ALS
Despite the grim outlook that comes with ALS, Johnson is taking on the disease with bravery and putting together a call to action to help the cause and raise awareness. In addition to bringing back the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” which so many individuals, both within and outside the NFL community, participated in, he’s been very vulnerable in how he’s spoken out about his situation.
Above all else, Johnson isn’t inviting an approach of pity. He’s moving forward with power and wants to still be seen as the same person he was before the tragedy that struck him.
“I want people to know that I’m still me,” Johnson said in his Good Morning America interview. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am,” he said. “People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you’re not still the same person inside. I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn’t cooperate.”
Titans Set to Induct Legendary RB Chris Johnson Into Ring of Honor