He Was a Man Among Boys

It was January 1, 1974 and I was at home from UGA for the holidays spending a normal New Years day watching one football game after another. The Rose Bowl that day featured Ohio State and USC and I watched a big freshman fullback by the name of Pete Johnson score three touchdowns as Ohio State put a major whooping on USC.

I almost fell out of the chair when they interviewed him after the game and I actually saw him. I realized it was the Pete Johnson I had played basketball with a couple of years earlier at Peach County High School in Fort Valley, GA.

I had no idea he was playing college football. But I wasn’t surprised.

For your information, 33 years later, Pete still holds the Ohio State Buckeye career record for scoring 58 touchdowns in his career. He also scored 348 points which was a school record until a placekicker surpassed his record a couple of years ago. Recently, Pete was selected to the Ohio State All Century Team.


In 1977 Pete was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft and he went on to have a great NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was their leading rusher for all seven seasons he played for them. He played in a Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl. He was the Bengals all-time leading rusher when he left that team. He ended his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins.

Not bad for a guy who was born and raised in Fort Valley Georgia.

Actually Pete left Fort Valley before his senior year in high school to move in with a relative in New York. He became an all state fullback there and ended up getting a football scholarship to Ohio State. In Fort Valley he was a linebacker and played on the offensive line. I don’t ever remember him running the ball in Fort Valley. But make no mistake, he was an amazing athlete then and dominated on the football field at his middle linebacker position.


As a six foot tall basketball player, he was on the starting line-up and muscled his way to lead the team in rebounds. He was a man among boys.

For some reason my brother in law and I started talking about him yesterday and I did some searching on the internet to see if I could find him.

I read in an old New York Times article that he was indicted in 1987 for cocaine trafficking. I never did find if he was ever proven guilty and convicted.


I found a picture of him playing in a charity golf tournament and saw where he was heading up a charity organization at one time called “Fourth and One.” I saw that he was recently a manager at an automobile leasing company in Ohio. I also saw where he was speaking and motivating a group of kids.

He was a man among boys when I knew him some 35 years ago. The possibility exists that he is a man among men now who is spending some of his time helping others.

Pete, if you ever google your name, you may read this. If so, shoot me an email. I would love to talk to you and maybe even figure out a way to get you in front of some of the audiences I have the opportunity to entertain and motivate.

We made a pretty good tandem 35 years ago. Maybe we can do it again.


This photo was taken at an Ohio State Buckeye rally before the Michigan game earlier this month. If any of you have any information about how I can get in touch with Pete Johnson, former Ohio State Buckeye, Cincinnati Bengal and Peach County Trojan, please let me know.

You never know til you ask.