Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Rudi Johnson passes away at 45
Johnson played seven years for Cincinnati.
Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Rudi Johnson has died at the age of 45.
Johnson, who played seven of his eight NFL seasons in Cincinnati, passed away early Tuesday morning. Police have told TMZ Sports Johnson committed suicide.
Rudi Johnson’s Bengals Career
Johnson was drafted by Cincinnati with the 100th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He only appeared in nine games during his first two seasons before taking on a significant role in 2003, carrying the ball 215 times for 957 yards and nine touchdowns. He took over as the full-time starter in 2004 when the Bengals traded Corey Dillon to the New England Patriots.
Cincinnati’s rushing offense thrived with Johnson leading the charge for the next three seasons. He ran for 1,454 yards in 2004, a career-high and franchise-record 1,458 yards in 2005, and another 1,309 yards in 2006. He scored 12 times on the ground in each of those three years, and was a Pro Bowler during that ’04 season.
Johnson played two more years for the Bengals before finishing his pro career with the Detroit Lions in 2008. In just seven seasons with Cincy, he finished third in rushing yards (5,742), rushing touchdowns (48), and rushing attempts (1,441) in team history. Only Joe Mixon has passed him since in rushing yards.
Johnson ended up making the Bengals’ First 50, honoring the 50 greatest players from the team’s first 50 years of existence. He also started the The Rudi Johnson Foundation in 2005, helping families and children with community-based programs to promote self-sufficiency. The foundation was based in Petersburg, Virginia, where he was born back in 1979.
“Rudi was a fine person and an excellent running back for us,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in the team’s official statement. “He was dependable and productive as a player, and very popular among his teammates. Everyone liked him and saw him as a dear friend. We are deeply saddened by his passing.”
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