Johnny Sample

Football player[30]

What is Johnny Sample known for?

Johnny Sample was a distinguished American football player, born in Cape Charles, Virginia. He attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and his professional career spanned over several significant teams in the NFL and AFL.

During his professional football career, he played as a defensive back for the Baltimore Colts (1958–1960), Pittsburgh Steelers (1961–1962), Washington Redskins (1963–1965), and the New York Jets (1966–1968). Known for his robust defensive plays, Sample participated in a total of 125 games, making 41 interceptions and scoring 6 touchdowns.

Remarkably, Sample had an illustrious career filled with numerous high points. He won the Super Bowl III and was a two-time NFL champion in 1958 and 1959. Furthermore, he was an AFL champion in 1968. He was also named Second-team All-Pro five times (1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968) and was UPI First-team All-Pro in 1961.

Sample began and ended his career with championship wins in two of the most famous games in professional football history. He won an NFL championship ring with the Colts in their victory over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, famously known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". At the end of his career, he helped the Jets win the AFL Championship and then defeat the Colts in the third AFL-NFL World Championship (Super Bowl III) in January 1969, recording an interception in the Jets' 16–7 win. He is the only professional football player to have won all three: an NFL, AFL, and Super Bowl championship.

Sample grew up in Cape Charles, Virginia and attended Maryland State College, now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he was recognized as a Little All-American and led the Hawks to a record of 28–1–1 and two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships in three seasons. In his college football career, he recorded impressive stats with 2,381 rushing yards, 37 touchdowns, 42 conversions, and four field goals.

In 1958, Sample made history as the first player from a historically black university to participate in the College All-Star Game, a notable annual exhibition. His professional career stats include 41 interceptions returned for 460 yards and four touchdowns. He also recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 61 yards.

Check out his career stats on NFL.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Johnny Sample passed away on April 26, 2005, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His legacy continues to inspire many young athletes.