Former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Charles Johnson dies at age 50

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and first-round draft pick, Charles Johnson, passed away at the age of 50. Johnson was drafted out of Colorado with the 17th overall pick of the 1994 NFL Draft, and he played his first five seasons in the NFL with the Steelers.

Steelers receiver Charles Johnson dies at age 50

The news was first reported by local news station CBS 17 in North Carolina where Johnson was working as an assistant athletic director at Heritage High School. The cause of Johnson’s death was unknown at the time of the report.

Johnson was a member of the 1994 NFL Draft class that included future Hall of Fame inductees Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Larry Allen. He was a major part of the Pittsburgh offense early on in Bill Cowher’s tenure as coach, breaking out in 1996 with a 1,000-yard season. He caught 60 passes for 1,008 yards and three touchdowns in his third year, establishing himself as a big-name receiver in the league.

While Johnson was on the Steelers, he was a member of four playoff runs with at least one win — including two conference championship round losses and a Super Bowl XXX appearance that ended with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Johnson played nine seasons in the NFL total, including with the New England Patriots in 2001 where he finally won a Super Bowl. He played with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the Patriots, and eventually retired with the Buffalo Bills in 2002. Johnson caught 354 passes for 4,606 yards and 24 touchdowns over his career, appearing in 133 games.