Chad Johnson
Chad Ochocinco Johnson[1] (born Chad Javon Johnson; January 9, 1978),[2] known from 2008 to 2012 as Chad Ochocinco,[3] is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Santa Monica Corsairs and the Oregon State Beavers, and played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots during his tenure playing in the NFL. He was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, and played for them for 10 seasons. Ochocinco, which means "eight five" in Spanish, was also his number. In 2011, Johnson was traded to the Patriots, for whom he played in Super Bowl XLVI.
For other people named Chad Johnson, see Chad Johnson (disambiguation).No. 85
January 9, 1978
Miami, Florida, U.S.
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
Miami Beach Senior
(Miami, Florida)
- Santa Monica (1997–1999)
- Oregon State (2000)
2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36
766
766
11,059
67
7
7
151
1
In 2012, Johnson played for the Miami Dolphins during preseason but was released following his arrest for domestic violence. He played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2014 to 2015, and played one game in 2017 for the Mexican team Fundidores de Monterrey of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). Johnson emerged as one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers of the 2000s and owns nearly every Bengals receiving record.
In April 2011, CNBC listed Johnson as number one on its list of "most influential athletes in social media".[4] Johnson was a six-time Pro Bowler, was named to four All-Pro teams and was voted as the number one wide receiver on the Bengals 40th Anniversary team.[5]
Early life[edit]
Johnson was born in Miami, Florida.[6][7] He graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. Johnson briefly attended Langston University. He did not play football at the school.[8]
College career[edit]
Santa Monica College[edit]
In 1997, Johnson transferred to Santa Monica College, a community college in Santa Monica, California. While at Santa Monica College, he played with future NFL wide receiver Steve Smith.[9]
Oregon State[edit]
In 2000, Johnson transferred to Oregon State University, after being aggressively recruited by coach Dennis Erickson to play for the OSU team.[10][11] Alongside future Bengals teammate T. J. Houshmandzadeh,[12] he led his team to an 11–1 season and a 41–9 victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl that year.[13][14] Johnson also broke a school record for the longest touchdown reception with a 97-yard reception in a game against Stanford.[15] In his one season at the school, he played in 12 games and recorded 37 receptions for 886 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Post playing career[edit]
In March 2016, Johnson tweeted to the Cleveland Browns head coach, who was also his former wide receivers coach with the Bengals, Hue Jackson, to ask if he would let Johnson work with the receivers during training camp. In July 2016, Jackson agreed to have Johnson work as a guest instructor for the Browns.[78] Jackson admitted that Johnson wants to "try his hand" at coaching.[79]
He is currently a panelist on the weekly highlight show Inside the NFL a role he has held since the show first moved to The CW in 2023. He also co-hosts the podcast Nightcap alongside Shannon Sharpe.
Personal information
Projects outside the NFL[edit]
Dancing with the Stars[edit]
On March 1, 2010, it was announced that Johnson would be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season. He was paired with two-time champion Cheryl Burke. The season premiere was on Monday, March 22, 2010.[82] He was eliminated from the show as one of the final four competitors on May 18, 2010, after receiving the lowest judges' score and number of votes. He was the 100th contestant to be eliminated in the show's history.[83]
Versus[edit]
Johnson had his own segment on Sports Soup titled "Child, Please".[84]
During the 2010-2011 NFL season, he and teammate Terrell Owens teamed up for a talk show, The T. Ocho Show on Versus, talking football, basketball, and pop culture. The show was cancelled in 2011 as a result of Comcast's plans to re-launch Versus as an NBC Sports-branded service, as its new staff did not feel that the show would fit with the network's new goals.[85]
The Ultimate Catch[edit]
In 2010, Johnson was featured on his own reality television dating show called Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch on VH1.[86] Aspiring singer-songwriter Rubi Pazmino won the show. Fellow NFL wide receivers Terrell Owens and Bernard Berrian were occasionally featured on the show, advising Johnson throughout the process.