| Intro | American football player | ||||
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American football player Football player |
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| From | United States of America | ||||
| Type | Sports | ||||
| Gender | male | ||||
| Birth | 14 October 1986, Gilmer, USA | ||||
| Age: | 33 years | ||||
| Star sign | Libra | ||||
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Manuel Johnson (born October 14, 1986) is a former wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma.
Early years
Johnson attended Gilmer High School where he played as a quarterback and wide receiver. He passed for 48 career touchdowns, ran for 18 touchdowns, caught 17 touchdowns, set a school single-season passing record and was a two-time All-state player.
In his last year he was the No. 13 ranked wide receiver in the nation (Rivals.com), while receiving Dave Campbell Player of the Year, MVP District 13-AAA and MVP All East Texas honors. He was also a member of the basketball and track teams.
College career
Johnson accepted a football scholarship from the University of Oklahoma. As a true freshman he appeared in 10 games (one start), registering 10 receptions for 170 yards and one touchdown (a 55-yard reception). The next year, he started 5 games, registering 36 receptions for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a junior, he started 7 games, making 31 receptions for 448 yards and 4 touchdowns.
As a senior, he started all 13 games, posting 42 receptions for 714 yards and 9 touchdowns. In the season opener against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he tallied 9 receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. Against Texas Christian University he had 5 receptions for a school record 206 yards and 3 touchdowns (covering 76, 55 and 63 yards), joining Antonio Perkins as the only two players in school history to have three scoring plays of 55-plus yards in one game. He was the team’s third leading receiver behind Juaquin Iglesias and Jermaine Gresham. He played in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, where the Sooners lost 14-24 to the Florida Gators. He finished his college career with 26 starts out of 49 games, 119 receptions for 1,710 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Professional career
Johnson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (229th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was released on September 5 and signed to the practice squad the next day, after the team decided to instead keep undrafted free agent Kevin Ogletree.
In 2010, he was one of the last cuts and was signed again to the practice squad on September 6. He was promoted to the active roster on December 15 and played in 2 games. He was waived on September 3, 2011.