Vance Johnson (1981)

Former NFL football star for the Denver Broncos

What is Vance Johnson (1981) known for?

Vance Edward Johnson, born on March 13, 1963, in Trenton, New Jersey, is a celebrated American former professional football player. A multifaceted talent, he was a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL), having played college football for the Arizona Wildcats.

Selected by the Broncos in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft, Johnson had an impressive career at the University. While at the University of Arizona, he functioned as a versatile running back, amassing 2,885 yards from scrimmage, 104 receptions, and 31 touchdowns, and returning 62 kickoffs for 1,369 yards and another score. Moreover, he won the NCAA championship and the gold medal at the Junior Pan American games in the long jump discipline.

Throughout his NFL career from 1985 to 1995, he dedicatedly played for the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. Having an illustrious career, he helped the Broncos to reach three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s and had an exceptional performance in Super Bowl XXI. With 76 receptions for 1,095 yards and seven touchdowns, his best season was deemed to be in 1989. In 11 seasons, Johnson accumulated 415 receptions for 5,695 yards and 37 touchdowns, with 17 rushes earning him 44 yards. He also gained 689 yards on punt returns, and 1,027 yards returning kickoffs. His profile can be found at NFL.com.

Johnson, along with Ricky Nattiel and Mark Jackson, played together from 1987 to 1992 and were fondly nicknamed "The Three Amigos." Johnson held three Broncos franchise records in punt returns and 100+ yard receiving games in the 2017 NFL off-season.

After retiring from the NFL, Johnson confessed to abusing his ex-wife and other women in his life during a 1996 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. He owned a real estate company and several businesses in Colorado but later ventured into advocacy for addiction recovery for athletes post-career. He achieved sobriety in 2013 and is currently a rehabilitation ambassador with Americas Rehab Campus in Tucson, Arizona.

His biography, Uncovered: Why Becoming Less Became Everything was published in March 2019. In the book, he discussed his struggles with a serious alcohol and pill addiction that cost him everything he had. He has been interviewed in various media outlets and featured on shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Maury Povich Show, the NFL Network, and the Wendy Williams Show where he has openly talked about his addiction and chronic pain.