Former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson was asked on the red carpet at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night if he could still call himself CJ2K.
“You can always call me that,” he said with a smile.
Johnson earned his rhythmic nickname 15 years ago after accomplishing an incredible feat that only seven other NFL players have accomplished: rushing for more than 2,000 yards in the 2009 season and being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year and All-Pro.
Such rare achievements have helped Johnson become the youngest member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024, making him, at age 38, one of the youngest members ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Going into my last game, I knew how many yards I needed to get to 2,000, and when I had that meeting with coach Jeff Fisher, all the coaches, the whole team was rooting for me,” Johnson said at the Omni Nashville Hotel. “They were rooting for me. They all did everything they could to help me get to 2,000.”
Johnson, who never hid his dreams of becoming an NFL superstar, rushed 36 times for 134 yards in a 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, passing the 2,000-yard mark with 2,006 yards. Johnson broke Earl Campbell’s single-season team record for rushing yards (1,934) in the first half.
After the game, Johnson, along with his offensive linemen, fellow running back LenDale White and running backs coach Ernest Byner, gathered on the field to take a photograph commemorating the monumental moment. Johnson later purchased a watch engraved with “2,000 Yard Season” for starting offensive lineman and tight end Alge Crumpler.
The Buffalo Bills’ O.J. Simpson became the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in 1973. Derrick Henry was the most recent player to do so in 2020, making the Titans the only team with two players who rushed for 2,000 yards.
The team has long been known for producing great running backs, and Johnson said he was honored to be one of the best. His 7,965 career rushing yards rank him fourth all-time behind Eddie George (10,009), Henry (9,502) and Campbell (8,574).
Chris Johnson Hall of Fame:Titans’ Chris Johnson, Predators’ Pekka Rinne to lead Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony
ESPN ignores the Titans:Who made the Tennessee Titans list in the ESPN NFL top 10 position rankings, and who got ignored?
“You see questions on the internet all the time like, ‘Who is the best running back in franchise history?'” Johnson said. “When you have guys like Earl Campbell, Eddie George, Derrick Henry and myself, you feel like we’re the best. It’s great to be in that group.”
Johnson said he is close with all three players, as well as White. Johnson and White made a name for themselves as “Smash and Dash,” and Johnson is quick to credit White for his on-field success.
“CJ is my best friend, but more than that, he’s like a brother. He’s like family,” said White, who attended Johnson’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “It’s amazing what life has become for him. I’m blessed and grateful to have been his friend. When I look back on our times together on the field, that smash-and-dash combo, I can’t imagine not being here tonight.”
Mike Organ can be reached at 615-259-8021 or X @MikeOrganWriter.
