Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson, longtime 49ers DB, dies at 86 - ESPN

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Jimmy Johnson, a three-time All-Pro and member of the All-Decade Team of the 1970s, has died. He was 86.

Johnson's family told the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he died on Wednesday night.

Johnson, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994, played his entire 16-year pro career with San Francisco. He appeared in 213 games, more than any other 49ers player at the time of his retirement.

The 49ers are saddened to learn of the passing of Jimmy Johnson.

Our organization sends its deepest condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/9HEXRi7MBw

«Jimmy Johnson was extraordinarily athletically talented,» Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said. «The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs. Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished. The notion that a 'lockdown' cornerback could cut the field in half for the opposition was true with Jimmy. Only rarely would other teams' quarterbacks even look his direction, and more often than not regretted the decision if they challenged him.»

The 49ers drafted Johnson sixth overall in 1961 out of UCLA — the Chargers of the upstart AFL took him in the fourth round of that league's draft — and he became a starter almost immediately as a cornerback. He had five interceptions as a rookie.

But he was so versatile that the Niners used Johnson on offense in 1962, when he made 34 receptions for 627 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Preventing opponents from compiling such stats was his forte, however, and by 1964 Johnson was a fixture on the corner. He remained there until retiring after the 1976 season, totaling 47 interceptions, returning two for scores and earning a reputation as a