UCLA legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson passes away

Former UCLA multi-sport athlete and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jimmy Johnson, has passed away at the age of 86.

Johnson is one of the greatest athletes in UCLA history, starring as a high hurdler and long jumper, while also dominating on the football field.

According to the UCLA website, Johnson earned the 1959 Pacific Coast Conference high jump championship and won the AAWU High Hurdle crown in 1960, registering a time of 14.3 seconds. The same year, he won the NCAA title, clocking 14.0 seconds.

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Johnson played on both sides of the ball for UCLA between 1958 and 1961, registering 39 carries for 290 yards and hauling 28 passes for 543 yards, scoring four touchdowns. He also returned nine kick-offs for 230 yards.

The UCLA legend was part of the Bruins team that won the AAWU Championship in 1959 and 1961, before being selected as the sixth overall pick by the San Fransisco 49ers in the 1961 NFL Draft.

Johnson would play 16 years in the NFL, playing as a cornerback and becoming one of the best man-to-man defenders the game has ever seen. Johnson had 47 career interceptions.

The Fresno Bee website reports Johnson was nicknamed 'The Lonesome Cornerback' because opponents rarely threw to his side of the field. His 47 interceptions are second in 49ers history only to Ronnie Lott.

The cornerback played 213 games for the 49ers and started 205, trailing only Jerry Rice in appearances. He was a four-time All-Pro and garnered five Pro Bowl selections.

For his dominant spell on the defensive end of the ball, Johnson was selected into the NFL 1970s All-Decade team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Johnson would also be inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1994, becoming a legendary figure in a school known for producing sporting icons.

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