This is the time of year when our NFL Alumni enrollment increases due to both voluntary—and involuntary—retirements of active players.
Collin Johnson, a five-year veteran receiver, did not play last year. He announced last month that his playing days are behind him, but he is still going to be competing. He is returning to the classroom to obtain his master’s degree.
Johnson, 28, has not enrolled for the fall semester at just any university. He has been accepted at the Sloan School of Management at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.
“Football has shaped my life in more ways than I can put into words,“ Johnson says. “It taught me faith, discipline, resilience, leadership and how to compete at the highest level. I am thankful for every teammate, coach, organization, and person who helped me along the way.”
Collin Johnson is the son of 10-year (1980-89) NFL alum Johnnie Johnson who played defensive back for the Rams and Seahawks. He attended and played so well at the University of Texas that he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Collin followed his father’s footsteps at Texas. His performance there led the Jaguars to select him on the fifth round of the 2020 Draft.
While the younger Johnson did not play last season, he did create “Beyond Sports” which is an educational and venture-building platform for current and former players. The platform aims to empower athletes to succeed beyond their playing days by providing mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and resources for building ventures.
“For a long time, athletes have been endorsers of other people’s companies,” Johnson explains. “I believe we also can be founders, operators, investors and owners behind them too.”
Johnson will have NFL company at MIT this fall because NFL alum John Urschel, who played three seasons (2014-16) with the Ravens and retired at age 26 is there. He studied and earned his PH.D. at MIT and now is an assistant professor at the university’s Department of Mathematics.
We salute Collin Johnson for his entrepreneurship and for continuing his education at a very competitive academic environment. However, Collin, like his dad, knows more than a little about competitive environments on the field and we wish both men continued success.
