Deceased former NFL lineman Kevin Johnson had HBCU ties

Former NFL lineman Kevin Johnson was tragically killed on Wednesday following a violent encounter at a homeless encampment in South Los Angeles. Per reports, Johnson was found unconscious and was eventually pronounced dead on the scene. His death was ruled a homicide, as the preliminary investigation by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner showed that he had blunt head trauma and stab wounds.

Johnson was a tenured NFL veteran who started his career in HBCU football before ascending to the league. A Los Angeles, California native, he attended Westchester High School, leading the Comets to a championship in 1987 and a second straight appearance in 1988. Johnson then began his college journey, playing at Los Angeles Harbor College from 1989 to 1990. He then elected to transfer to Texas Southern, where he played alongside future NFL Hall-of-Famer Michael Strahan. Johnson played for the Tigers until 1992, when he declared for the NFL Draft.

Johnson was selected by the New England Patriots with the 86th pick in the fourth round, but bounced around teams for the first two years of his career. He found stability with Philadelphia Eagles, where he played for the team from 1995-1996. His NFL career ended in 1997 as he played for the Oakland Raiders. But, he went on to play arena league football, playing for the Orlando Predators from 1998-1999 and then the Los Angeles Avengers from 2000-2001.

In his NFL career, Johnson had 54 tackles and 7 sacks with one fumble recovery. He added 12 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 passes defended in Arena Football, where he became an Arena Bowl champion in 1998.

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