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 Football Players, Staff More Comfortable This Time AroundBill Belichick said the UNC Football program is way ahead of this time a year ago. That goes for the players, too. "Having that camaraderie...
Tue Apr 14, 2026Carolina Insider Podcast: Basketball Updates, Spring Football, Youssef Shamel, Jason Kosmicki
Transfer portal season means uncertainty for UNC Basketball (4:25). Spring football is underway as the Tar Heels look for big improvement (15:19). Denver Nuggets play-by-play...
Tue Apr 14, 2026
Patriots QB Drake Maye motivated by 'humbling' Super Bowl defeat
"I think that's the biggest thing about it: It's humbling. You've got to get back to work. When you're so close and within reach, you...
Mon Apr 13, 2026
Newsletter: Michael Malone Hired, UNC and the Transfer Portal, Maximo Adams still a Tar Heel
What a week! Michael Malone was hired as UNC’s new Men’s Basketball coach, the transfer portal is in overdrive, Maximo Adams is still a Tar...
Mon Apr 13, 2026