Jim Johnson

Jim Johnson (May 26, 1941 – July 28, 2009) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League. A native of Maywood, Illinois, he played high school football for Proviso East High School in Maywood before attending the University of Missouri, where he played college football under head coach Dan Devine from 1959 to 1962. An all-Big Eight quarterback, he played in the same backfield with future long-time NFL executive Bill Tobin. Johnson went undrafted in the 1963 NFL draft but was signed as a tight end by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, for whom he played two seasons from 1963 to 1964.

Johnson went on to coach for more than 40 years. He served as defensive coordinator for nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and was widely regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, known particularly as a master architect of blitzes, disguising them skillfully and keeping offenses off balance. Despite his lengthy coaching career, he held head coaching duties only once, at the collegiate level, though he was interviewed by the Arizona Cardinals regarding their head coaching vacancy in 2004.