Happy 85th birthday to Charley Johnson! Johnson was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the NFL, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, and Denver Broncos. In 1964, playing for the Cardinals, he led the NFL in attempted passes, passes completed, and passing yards. In 1986, the Broncos added him to the team’s Ring of Fame.
Johnson had an impressive career outside football, as well. His Wikipedia page says he graduated from New Mexico State with a 4.0 GPA and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He then earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D., also in chemical engineering, while playing in the NFL. After retiring from football, he founded his own company, served as head of the chemical engineering department at New Mexico State, and was a professor in the department, as well.
The card shown here is Johnson’s 1964 Kahn’s Wieners card. These are gorgeous cards, with a full-color, borderless image on the front, and the player’s name and biographical information on the back. You can see the whole set in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
Johnson appeared on many more cards, stamps, and bottle caps, too. You can see them all here.