Titans Legend Earns Place in Tennessee Hall of Fame

The legendary Tennessee Titans running back will be enshrined in history.

Here, Tennessee Titans running back Johnson (28) ran for some of his career-high 284 yards in a loss to the Houston Texans at LP Field Sept.20, 2009 / Sanford Myers / The Tennessean via Imagn

Former Tennessee Titans speedster running back Chris Johnson is returning to his "second home" this weekend to be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

"It's special," Johnson said. "I love Tennessee. I come back all the time. The city embraced me, the fans loved me. Everyone around the city – and the whole state, for that matter – embraced me. Nashville, and Tennessee, will always be my second home. It will aways be a place come to.

Johnson's senior season at East Carolina University was special. He rushed for 1,423 yards, 17 touchdowns, six yards per carry, 37 receptions, 528 receiving yards, and six more touchdowns.

He also ran a combine-record 4.24 40-yard dash which would go untouched for nine years until Washington prospect John Ross topped it in 2017 at 4.22, and then Kansas City Chief receiver, by way of Texas, Xavier Worthy recorded a 4.21 time this past year.

These factors would warrant Johnson to be selected with the 24th overall pick by the Titans and in just six seasons, Johnson cemented himself as one of the greatest running backs in franchise history.

As a rookie Johnson rushed for 1,228 yards and nine touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry with another 43 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown. Johnson ran the Titans all the way to an NFL-best 13-3 record including a first-round bye, but they were eliminated in the divisional round 13-10 by the Baltimore Ravens.

He earned a Pro-Bowl invite, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting only behind Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Matt Ryan, and he finished seventh in MVP voting, again only as a rookie.

Titans fans knew that Johnson was special, but I don't even know if head coach Jeff Fisher knew what was to come.

Johnson led the league in rushing yards with a whopping 2,006 yards, 14 touchdowns, 5.6 yards per carry, with 50 receptions, 503 receiving yards, and two more touchdowns. Johnson won Offensive Player of the Year, was an All-Pro First Team member, and a Pro-Bowler again.

These stats set a single-season NFL record for scrimmage yards, he was only the sixth player to rush for at least 2,000 yards at the time, and the youngest to do so.

The Titans lost the first six games of the season but did come back and finish the season 8-8, but ultimately missed the playoffs, a non-achievement that occurred every season until 2016.

Over his last four years in Tennesseee, Johnson rushed for 4,731 yards, 27 touchdowns, added another 1,240 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. Johnson also made his third Pro-Bowl in 2010.

Johnson had arguably the greatest six seasons in Titans history and undoubtedly deserves to be in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

"I love the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee," Johnson said. "No matter where I am, I always seem to run into somebody from Tennessee and they are so nice to me. To be going into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, it means a lot to me."

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