He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, and earning consensus All-American honors in 1993.
[2] Johnson was a bull rider on the junior rodeo circuit, earning the nickname the "Cowboy," which followed him throughout his football career.
Johnson attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, before transferring to Northern Illinois University as a junior.
He played only two years for the Huskies, but his total yards mark of 3,314 still places him fifth on the team's all-time rushing list.
[1] In Johnson's career-best game, he rushed for 214 yards on 21 carries for the Cardinals versus the New Orleans Saints on September 22, 1996.