Landon Johnson was part of a golden era for Purdue football from 2000-2003. And he’ll always remember it.

“Oh, no doubt,” said Johnson. “That was a special time.”

Johnson arrived at Purdue in the fall of 2000 as one of the most touted players to sign with the program in years. The 6-2, 238-pound Johnson came to West Lafayette from Coronado High in Lubbock, Texas. And he had a long list of suitors. But he tabbed the Boilermakers

Johnson became a regular quickly for a Boilermaker defense that teemed with talent, playing alongside the likes of fellow linebackers Joe Odom, Gilbert Gardner and Niko Koutouvides—among others—during his tenure at Purdue.

Johnson was a third-round pick by the Bengals in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played seven seasons in the NFL, suiting up for the Panthers and Lions in addition to the Bengals in a career that ended after the 2010 season.

GoldandBlack.com caught up with the 39-year-old Johnson.

GoldandBlack.com: Where are you living?

Johnson: The Cincinnati area, teaching high school ninth grade science at Fairfield (Ohio) Freshman School.

GoldandBlack.com: How long have you been doing that?

Johnson: For about the past seven years. I’ve been teaching for nine years total, but for the last seven here.

GoldandBlack.com: Are you coaching?

Johnson: No. I coached one season, but it is too much time away from home. I had a young son at the time. By the time I got home, it was time for him to go to bed. I might get back into it when the kids get older.

GoldandBlack.com: Are you married? Children?

Johnson: I have been married 11 years. I have three boys. My oldest Braden is 8, Deacon is 6 and Grayson is about to turn 5.

GoldandBlack.com: Did you ever leave Cincinnati after playing for the Bengals?

Johnson: We lived in Charlotte for five years and then came back to Cincinnati.

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GoldandBlack.com: How did you matriculate from Lubbock, Texas, to Purdue?

Johnson: It ended up being a good opportunity for me. At first, I wanted to go to Colorado when Coach (Rick) Neuheisel was there. But I started to lean toward Purdue. I asked Coach Neuheisel if he was leaving for the Washington job, because there were rumors that he might be going. He said: "Yes, I’m gonna be at Colorado." Then, a week later, he ended up taking the job at Washington. Purdue was my best opportunity to come in and play early. I was real anti-redshirt. When I was coming out of high school, I was coming to play early. Purdue was a good opportunity to play early. And I thought a Purdue education would hold weight. And I could tell they wanted me. Coach Tiller came to my house. I felt like it was a good choice.

GoldandBlack.com: What was the highlight of your time?

Johnson: It is hard to pick a single thing. Going to the Rose Bowl was a big moment. That was my freshman year, so I don't think I really realized how big of a deal that was. I guess I expected to win and didn’t realize all the talent we had on offense. And our game against Ohio State (2000) when (Drew) Brees hit Seth (Morales). That was a fun game. I enjoyed all of it. It was a lot of fun with my teammates and playing for Coach (Brock) Spack.

GoldandBlack.com: How good was the 2003 defense?

Johnson: Almost everyone who played that year made it. There were seven of us in that class that got drafted. And a couple more after that. That’s just a good job recruiting by our coaching staff and putting players where they can succeed. A lot of players were moved around, switched positions and our coaches had a good eye for finding the right talent to fit into the scheme. And then put players where they need to be in order to be successful.

GoldandBlack.com: What was your NFL experience like?

Johnson: I was the last pick of the third round which was nice because I didn’t have to sit around and wait for Day Two to see who would pick me.

It was definitely a blessing to be able to do something that I always wanted to do from the time that I was little. At the same time, it’s definitely a business. It’s a stark contrast between college and the pros, especially as far as teammates. You live with your college teammates and are very close together. But when you get to the NFL, it’s every man for himself. It was a good experience. It was a blessing. But I definitely am not sad that I am done playing.

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