Titans to add Chris Johnson to their Ring of Honor on Sept. 13

 Titans to add Chris Johnson to their Ring of Honor on Sept. 13

  

 Johnson with the Titans, credit:dailymail

    Former Titans All-pro running back Chris Johnson is set to be immortalized in Tennessee forever with Ring of Honor induction on Sept. 13. 

The Titans announced on Friday that Johnson will be inducted into the Titans Ring of Honor during their week 1 matchup at home against the New York Jets. 

The announcement comes just weeks following Johnsons’ “Good Morning America” interview with former NFL Defensive End Michael Strahan revealing that he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) last year at the age of 39. Johnson could be seen using a computer that tracks his eyes to speak. 

“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” said team owner Amy Adams Strunk in a statement. His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration. We look forward to welcoming him home on Sept. 13 and officially inducting him into the Titans Ring of Honor.” 

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles, leading to muscle weakness, loss of speech, and breathing, per mayoclinic.com. 

It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said during the interview. Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she’d make a birthday wish her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that. 

Johnson was a 2008 first round pick by the Titans. He made an immediate impact to that offense by earning his first pro bowl appearance. In 15 games, Johnson rushed for 1,228 yards on 251 carries, along with 10 touchdowns, per statmuse.com. 

Johnson was an all-purpose player also contributing in the passing game. According to profootballreference.com, he had 25 receptions on 221 and a receiving touchdown. He also secured 1,449 scrimmage yards. The success that was his rookie year, set the tone for his sophomore year when he reached 2,000 yards rushing in 2009, where he got the nickname “CJ2K.” 

Johnson was with the Titans for five years and made it memorable. In 95 games, Johnson had a total of 7,965 rush yards on 1,742 carries and 50 rushing touchdowns.