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:
“In European thought in general, as contrasted with American, vigor, life and originality have a kind of easy, professional utterance. American—on the other hand, is expressed in an eager amateurish way. A European gives a sense of scope, of survey, of consideration. An American is strained, sensational. One is artistic gold; the other is bullion.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“What exacerbates the strain in the working class is the absence of money to pay for services they need, economic insecurity, poor daycare, and lack of dignity and boredom in each partner’s job. What exacerbates it in upper-middle class is the instability of paid help and the enormous demands of the career system in which both partners become willing believers. But the tug between traditional and egalitarian models of marriage runs from top to bottom of the class ladder.”
—Arlie Hochschild (20th century)