Now a coach, Leon Johnson and parents reflect on football career
Posted Feb 24, 2012
From his time as a Freedom High four-sport standout, to being drafted as a teenager by the San Francisco Giants, to playing a key part in some of UNC’s glory years on the gridiron and lining up for coach Bill Parcells with the New York Jets as part of an eight-year NFL career, Leon Johnson made a lasting impression on everyone in Burke County who calls themselves a sports fan.
(Morganton News Herald)
Related: Football, Tar Heels in the NFL
UNC’s Road to a Bowl Game Starts and Ends With Tobacco RoadWhatever you make of North Carolina’s football season, it would be considered a success if the Tar Heels reach a bowl game, even if that...
Wed Nov 12, 2025Davion 'Bullet' Gause seized his chances against Stanford
When UNC needed a spark against Stanford, sophomore running back Davion Gause delivered, not just with his legs, but with his hands and instincts. Gause,...
Wed Nov 12, 2025
Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels finding success bringing down quarterbacks in sign of progress
UNC linebacker Tyler Thompson has a simple explanation of how he keeps getting to the quarterback. "Really just effort and violence, bro," he said after...
Wed Nov 12, 2025
UNC Defensive End Tyler Thompson Playing With 'Effort and Violence'
Tyler Thompson made his first career start as a redshirt-freshman in 2024, tasked with filling a significant hole on defense. Thompson started in place of...
Wed Nov 12, 2025