American football player (1932–1996)
American football player
David "Kosse" Johnson (July 13, 1932 – September 3, 1996) was an American football player. He played college football for Rice, led the Southwest Conference in rushing and scoring in 1953, and was selected as a first-team back on the 1953 All-America college football team.
Early year
Johnson was born in 1932 in Kosse, Texas. He moved with his family to Baytown, Texas, in 1942.[1] He played football at Baytown Junior High School and Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown.[2][3]
Rice University
He played college football at the fullback position for the Rice Owls football team from 1950 to 1953. He became Rice's second-leading career rusher with 1,907 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.[4] In the fall of 1953, he led the Southwest Conference in both rushing yards (944) and scoring (62 points) during the regular season.[5] He was also rated as a great punter and played at the linebacker position on defense.[4] He was selected by the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, and Look magazine as a first-team player on their respective 1953 College Football All-America Teams.[5][6][7]
Family and later years
Johnson married Barbara Sue Bradbury in February 1953 while still a student at Rice.[1] He later worked as a high school football coach in Texas. He was inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972.[4]
Johnson died in 1996 at age 64 in San Antonio due to complication from cancer.[4]
