Stone Johnson

Stone Johnson
Johnson at the 1960 Olympics
No. 33
PositionRunning back
Personal information
BornApril 26, 1940
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 1963(1963-09-08) (aged 23)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolJames Madison (Dallas, Texas)
CollegeGrambling
AFL draft1963: 14th round, 105th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights

Stone Edward Johnson (April 26, 1940 — September 8, 1963) was an American sprinter and professional football player. Selected 105th overall in the 1963 American Football League draft out of Grambling College, he was a kick returner and running back for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1963 preseason. Three years earlier at age twenty, Johnson was a 200-meter finalist in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and was also a brief world record holder.[1]

In the Chiefs' fifth and final preseason game on August 31 against the Houston Oilers in Wichita, Kansas, rookie Johnson suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck while blocking during a first quarter kickoff return.[2] Rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Wichita for immediate surgery, he died there eight days later at the age of 23.[2][3][4] Although he was only on the team's active roster during preseason, his jersey number 33 was retired.[5][6]

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Miller, Jeff (August 31, 2013). "Stone Johnson died 50 years ago from injury in NFL (AFL preseason) game". USA Today. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Stone Johnson of K.C. Chiefs has neck break". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. September 2, 1963. p. 15 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ↑ "K.C. rookie star dead from injury". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. September 9, 1963. p. 12 – via Google News Archive.
  4. ↑ "Stone Johnson dies of broken neck". The Baltimore Afro-American. September 14, 1963. p. 23. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame". Kansas City Chiefs. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Chiefs History: 1960's". Kansas City Chiefs. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2011.


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