Daryl Johnston
Encyclopedia
Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston (born February 10, 1966) is a former National Football League
fullback
who played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys
from 1989 to 1999.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
. As a redshirted freshman, Johnston played on special teams. He earned the starting fullback
position his sophomore year in 1986.
While playing for Syracuse, Johnston was an All-Big East selection in 1988 and an All-America
n in 1989. He rushed for 1,830 yards and caught 46 passes during his collegiate career and once gained 138 yards rushing, the most by a Syracuse running back since Larry Csonka
rushed for 154 yards in 1967.
He graduated with a degree in economics.
by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft
. There he received his nickname "Moose" from backup quarterback Babe Laufenberg
. The name caught on among Dallas fans who would chant "Moooooose" whenever Johnston made a play.
As a Cowboy, Johnston played in 149 consecutive games from 1989
-97
. He was also one of the team's top special teams players.
In the NFL, he scored 22 career touchdown
s, but had more receptions in his career than carries. He has 294 career receptions for 2,227 yards for a 7.6 yard per catch average and rushed for 753 yards on 232 carries for an average of 3.2 yards per carry. In 1993
Johnston had 50 receptions and averaged 7.4 yards per catch. Johnston earned a trip to the Pro Bowl
in 1993
and 1994
. Johnston was a member of three Super Bowl
winning teams.
His 294 receptions is the third highest total among Cowboys running backs.
Due mainly to Johnston's contributions, the NFL created the fullback
position in the Pro Bowl
. Prior to this change blocking fullback
had little chance of beating out a regular running back
who had many more carries. In 1993
Johnston became the first fullback
ever selected for the Pro Bowl
.
, as Smith went on to become the all-time NFL rushing leader. However, Johnston was not the lead blocker for Smith's entire career. An unfortunate neck injury prematurely ended Johnston's career. Johnston was present the day Smith broke the rushing record; he was in the broadcasting booth, but came down onto the field to hug Smith and congratulate him afterward. As Smith made his victory lap of Texas Stadium
after the record setting carry, Johnston hung back in the shadows. When Smith saw Johnston, the two joined together in an emotional embrace, with Smith telling Johnston, "I couldn't have done it without you". Johnston replied "It was my pleasure. I couldn't imagine doing it for anybody else."
alongside Kenny Albert
on the second broadcast team of The NFL on Fox
. He was recently hired as an analyst for the NFL Network
's "Total Access" show, and will continue to do his weekly analysis during the 2010 regular season on Fox. Johnston also began calling the collegiate Cotton Bowl Classic game for Fox in 2009.
, Johnston now resides in Dallas, Texas
with his wife Jamie, son Aaron, and daughter Halie.
Johnston has been a major contributor to many charities including the Special Olympics, Children's Cancer Fund, Cystic Fibrosis and Literacy Instruction For Texas (LIFT). He has also served as honorary chairman for MDA's "Aisles of Smiles" campaign, and for the American Cancer Society's Gunslingers' Ball. In 1999, Johnston's numerous community service activities led to his nomination for the prestigious "Whizzer White Humanitarian Award."
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
who played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
from 1989 to 1999.
High school career
Johnston was named Western New York Player of the Year in 1983 while playing for Lewiston-Porter (locally known as Lew-Port) High School in Youngstown, New York. The Lancers won the division during Daryl's Senior year 1984. His Lew-Port jersey number, 34, was retired on September 1, 2006.In 2008 he was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
College career
Johnston attended Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. As a redshirted freshman, Johnston played on special teams. He earned the starting fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
position his sophomore year in 1986.
While playing for Syracuse, Johnston was an All-Big East selection in 1988 and an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in 1989. He rushed for 1,830 yards and caught 46 passes during his collegiate career and once gained 138 yards rushing, the most by a Syracuse running back since Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
rushed for 154 yards in 1967.
He graduated with a degree in economics.
Professional career
Johnston was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...
. There he received his nickname "Moose" from backup quarterback Babe Laufenberg
Babe Laufenberg
Brandon Hugh 'Babe' Laufenberg is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and the Kansas City Chiefs...
. The name caught on among Dallas fans who would chant "Moooooose" whenever Johnston made a play.
As a Cowboy, Johnston played in 149 consecutive games from 1989
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
-97
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
. He was also one of the team's top special teams players.
In the NFL, he scored 22 career touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, but had more receptions in his career than carries. He has 294 career receptions for 2,227 yards for a 7.6 yard per catch average and rushed for 753 yards on 232 carries for an average of 3.2 yards per carry. In 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
Johnston had 50 receptions and averaged 7.4 yards per catch. Johnston earned a trip to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
and 1994
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
. Johnston was a member of three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
winning teams.
His 294 receptions is the third highest total among Cowboys running backs.
Due mainly to Johnston's contributions, the NFL created the fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
position in the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
. Prior to this change blocking fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
had little chance of beating out a regular running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who had many more carries. In 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
Johnston became the first fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
ever selected for the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
.
Legacy
Johnston was considered one of the best fullbacks of his day, while blocking for Emmitt SmithEmmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...
, as Smith went on to become the all-time NFL rushing leader. However, Johnston was not the lead blocker for Smith's entire career. An unfortunate neck injury prematurely ended Johnston's career. Johnston was present the day Smith broke the rushing record; he was in the broadcasting booth, but came down onto the field to hug Smith and congratulate him afterward. As Smith made his victory lap of Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
after the record setting carry, Johnston hung back in the shadows. When Smith saw Johnston, the two joined together in an emotional embrace, with Smith telling Johnston, "I couldn't have done it without you". Johnston replied "It was my pleasure. I couldn't imagine doing it for anybody else."
Broadcasting career
Today, Johnston works as a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
alongside Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert , is an American sportscaster, and the son of sportscaster Marv Albert and the nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert...
on the second broadcast team of The NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
. He was recently hired as an analyst for the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
's "Total Access" show, and will continue to do his weekly analysis during the 2010 regular season on Fox. Johnston also began calling the collegiate Cotton Bowl Classic game for Fox in 2009.
Personal life
A native of Youngstown, New YorkYoungstown, New York
Youngstown is a village in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 1,957 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Johnston now resides in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
with his wife Jamie, son Aaron, and daughter Halie.
Johnston has been a major contributor to many charities including the Special Olympics, Children's Cancer Fund, Cystic Fibrosis and Literacy Instruction For Texas (LIFT). He has also served as honorary chairman for MDA's "Aisles of Smiles" campaign, and for the American Cancer Society's Gunslingers' Ball. In 1999, Johnston's numerous community service activities led to his nomination for the prestigious "Whizzer White Humanitarian Award."
External links
- Statistics at Pro football Reference
- Statistics at Database Football