Derrick Johnson

Bio

Derrick Johnson was a key fixture in helping build the foundation for College Football Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown's legacy in Austin. Johnson was a two-time First Team All-America, consensus in 2003 and unanimous in 2004. He claimed the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Nagurski Trophy as nation's top defender in 2004. His nine forced fumbles that season placed 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. 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 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 landed him at No. 1 in school records, and he had 10.5 sacks, 30 pass breakups and nine interceptions, with both the breakups and interceptions setting the standard for UT linebackers. He added 11 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries during his time in Austin.

Career Highlights

• 2004 All-Conference
• 2004 Butkus Award Winner
• 2004 Conference MVP
• 2004 Nagurski Award Winner
• 2004 Unanimous All-America
• 2003 All-Conference
• 2003 Consensus All-America
• 2002 All-Conference