Stone Johnson

Stone Johnson
Johnson at the 1960 Olympics
No. 33
PositionRunning back
Personal information
BornApril 26, 1940
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 1963(1963-09-08) (aged 23)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight
180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolJames Madison (Dallas, Texas)
CollegeGrambling
AFL draft1963: 14th round, 105th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights

Stone Edward Johnson (April 26, 1940 — September 8, 1963) was an American sprinter and professional football player. Selected 105th overall in the 1963 American Football League draft out of Grambling College, he was a kick returner and running back for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1963 preseason. Three years earlier at age twenty, Johnson was a 200-meter finalist in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and was also a brief world record holder.

In the Chiefs' fifth and final preseason game on August 31 against the Houston Oilers in Wichita, Kansas, rookie Johnson suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck while blocking during a first quarter kickoff return. Rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Wichita for immediate surgery, he died there eight days later at the age of 23. Although he was only on the team's active roster during preseason, his jersey number 33 was retired.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Miller, Jeff (August 31, 2013). "Stone Johnson died 50 years ago from injury in NFL (AFL preseason) game". USA Today. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Stone Johnson of K.C. Chiefs has neck break". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. September 2, 1963. p. 15 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ↑ "K.C. rookie star dead from injury". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. September 9, 1963. p. 12 – via Google News Archive.
  4. ↑ "Stone Johnson dies of broken neck". The Baltimore Afro-American. September 14, 1963. p. 23. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame". Kansas City Chiefs. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Chiefs History: 1960's". Kansas City Chiefs. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2011.