49ers legend and Hall of Fame cornerback Jimmy Johnson dies at age 86.
Jimmy Johnson, a former cornerback and inductee into the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame, passed away yesterday at the age of 86. The Pro Football Hall of Fame received word from the family of the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback’s passing.
The San Francisco 49ers selected the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 1961 NFL Draft, a cornerback who was named to the first and second teams of the league four times each. He spent his whole professional career with the 49ers. The 49ers are devastated to hear of Jimmy Johnson’s loss. We, at our organization, extend our sincere sympathies to his friends and family.
The Hall of Fame President Jim Porter shared his thoughts, saying, according to the Associated Press, “Jimmy Johnson was incredibly gifted physically. Early in his career, the 49ers had the luxury of deploying him on offense and defense to satisfy team needs. He excelled after settling in at left cornerback. Jimmy proved that the idea that a “lockdown” cornerback might split the opposition’s field in half was accurate. The quarterbacks on opposing teams would almost never glance in his direction and would almost always regret taking a chance on him.
The 49ers organization retired his No. 37 jersey after he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994. Over the course of his career, he garnered 40 receptions, 690 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns, two scores on interception returns, and 47 interceptions in 213 games. In 2009, the legend was also inducted into the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame.
