Professional Career
Johnston was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft. As a rookie he received his nickname "Moose" from backup quarterback Babe Laufenberg. The name caught on among Dallas fans who would chant "Moooooose" whenever he made a play.
As a Cowboy, Johnston played in 149 consecutive games from 1989-97. He also became one of the greatest special teams players in franchise history.
He scored 22 career touchdowns and had more receptions than carries. His 294 receptions is the third highest number among Cowboys running backs, totaling 2,227 yards for a 7.6 yards average, compared to 232 carries for 753 yards for a 3.2 yards average. In 1993 Johnston had 50 receptions and averaged 7.4 yards per catch.
Due mainly to Johnston's contributions, the NFL created the fullback position in the Pro Bowl. Prior to this change, blocking fullbacks had little chance of beating out traditional running backs, who had better statistics. In 1993 Johnston became the first fullback ever selected for the Pro Bowl, earning trips in 1993 and in 1994.
Johnston retired at the end of the 1999 season, after suffering a neck injury that cut short his career. He was a member of three Super Bowl winning teams.
Read more about this topic: Daryl Johnston
Famous quotes containing the words professional and/or career:
“Smoking ... is downright dangerous. Most people who smoke will eventually contract a fatal disease and die. But they don’t brag about it, do they? Most people who ski, play professional football or drive race cars, will not die—at least not in the act—and yet they are the ones with the glamorous images, the expensive equipment and the mythic proportions. Why this should be I cannot say, unless it is simply that the average American does not know a daredevil when he sees one.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)
“It is a great many years since at the outset of my career I had to think seriously what life had to offer that was worth having. I came to the conclusion that the chief good for me was freedom to learn, think, and say what I pleased, when I pleased. I have acted on that conviction... and though strongly, and perhaps wisely, warned that I should probably come to grief, I am entirely satisfied with the results of the line of action I have adopted.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)