Photography courtesy of Dalton Masters – Diamond Photography.
When Buddy Johnson made a game-winning play for his college in 2020, he knew he had a chance to make it to the league. Now, he’s living out his dream and doing good for the community he came from.
Johnson’s career began in Oak Cliff, where he played Pop Warner football, following in his family’s footsteps. When he got to middle school, he started to take things more seriously. Originally slated to attend Carter High School, he ended up attending Kimball, their rival.
While playing at Kimball, the college offers began rolling in: Southern Methodist University, Missouri State University, Texas Tech University. A visit to Texas A&M University sealed the deal for Johnson.
“I honestly just fell in love with the place on my first visit,” Johnson says. “I committed on the way home, and it’s just been [smooth] sailing ever since.”
From the beginning of his professional career, Johnson knew he was in control of his own destiny.
“The coach that recruited me told me and my mom, ‘If you’re not starting, running down on kickoff first play of the game, then it’s your fault,’” Johnson says. “And the first play of the game, [against] UCLA, I’m running down on kickoff.”
As his first two seasons flew by, other players went on to the NFL, eventually putting Johnson in a leadership position. He says this is where he really started to mature and grow as a player, because he knew his team needed him.
“In my third year, as that season went on, I started to see myself making more plays and getting more comfortable,” Johnson says. “People started asking if I was coming back for my fourth year or declaring for the draft. If it’s a question that I can leave and go to the draft, like this is something that I can really, really do. So my confidence level got really high.”
He decided to return for his final year, and had a phenomenal season in 2020.
“I remember a game that I will never forget – we were playing Florida. I think they were top 10 in the country, and I’m not sure if we were ranked or not. They came to our field, and I remember the last drive, I remember it being a tie ballgame. They’re driving down, they’re about to score,” Johnson says. “I end up punching the ball out. We get a fumble, we go down, kick the field goal to win. And at that moment, I’m like, bro, this is something I can actually do.”
Johnson declared for the draft at the conclusion of the season, and was drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
From there, his journey was a roller coaster.
“This was actually my first time being away from Texas, because I grew up in Dallas, I go to College Station, which is still in Texas, and play ball there,” Johnson says. “I’m going to go play in Pennsylvania, like I’m out here in Pittsburgh. So it was a little rough going for me.”
When he got to Pittsburgh, he suffered a condition – plantar fasciitis – which put him on the injured reserve list. The nagging injury bothered him into the next season’s training camp, and he ended up not making the Steelers team.
A stint with the 49ers was a learning experience for Johnson, who got to look up to top players such as linebacker Fred Warner. He ended up getting cut from the Niners and signed to the Texans.
He was assigned to the practice squad in Houston and was never elevated to a game roster.
“I was still trying to get better every day, be a good teammate and give a good look,” Johnson says. “I kept building who I am as a player and a person.”
He decided not to re-sign with the Texans due to his lingering injury, and took a chance on himself, opting to get surgery on his foot and rehab back home in Dallas.
Photography courtesy of Dalton Masters – Diamond Photography.
He later flew out to Chicago for a workout and was plagued by yet another injury, this time on his hamstring.
“At this point, I’m like, man, I’m getting injury after injury, but obviously I’m trying to continue to have hope, because I know there’s going to be adversity in life, but at this point in my life it’s really tough,” Johnson says. “So I’m like OK, I’m gonna just rehab and I’m gonna keep training. So if another team calls me, then I’ll be ready.”
When he became healthy again, the Dallas Cowboys called. They wanted him to come by for a workout.
“I wanted to tell my family, but I’m like, I can’t get their hopes up like that just for me not to sign,” Johnson says. “I told my uncle, because I had to tell somebody, it’s like, how do you not tell somebody? I remember telling my uncle, and I was like, ‘you can’t tell my mom. Like, whatever you do, you can’t tell my mom.’”
After performing well at the workout, he eventually signed with his hometown team.
“I finally tell my mom, tell my brothers. My mom, she’s just tears rolling down her face, you know, she grew up a Cowboys fan,” Johnson says. “I tell my granny, I tell my brothers, they’re all fired up about it. And pretty much from there, everything just started to fall in place for me. I signed to the practice squad, and I ended up getting elevated for four games. So at this time of my career, I’m starting to build back up my confidence.”
This season, Johnson ended up making the 53-man Cowboys roster.
“I’m just super blessed to have this opportunity, not only to be in the NFL, but to play for my hometown team,” Johnson says. “It makes it a lot easier when you play for the hometown team to be able to give back to my community.”
Johnson started the Everybody Needs a Buddy Foundation, whose mission is to provide essential mentorship and guidance to the youth. He held his first annual football camp at Kimball last summer, which featured 200 first to sixth-graders learning fundamental football drills and skills.
“I think it’s important because, growing up, there wasn’t a lot of guys around that was in the league that would come back from my high school,” Johnson says. “For me to go back, it gives the guys a lot of confidence, and, you know, it gives the guys hope. Like, OK, this guy is a guy that’s where I’m from. He grew up in a neighborhood that’s tough to make it out of, and he still made it, through all the adversity.”
