But not nearly as much as he does today. The former West Virginia football standout is currently taking care of the futures of countless investors for Prudential Securities, Inc. in Bridgeport, W.Va. Johnson, a vice-president at the Bridgeport firm, gained his financial savvy while playing football with the Atlanta Falcons in 1989. So first I started buying CDs, then I realized I needed to protect those earnings from taxes. Still new to the trade in 1989, Johnson didn't take the astute financial advice he'd received to heart.
Today is a different story, however.
Included among his investors are several professional football players. Lauderdale, Fla., native was part of the first wave of top-notch Florida recruits to sign with WVU in winter of 1984. Johnson still ranks fifth all-time among West Virginia rushers with 2,211 career yards. Amos Zereoue, Artie Owens, Robert Walker and Robert Alexander only top that total. He led West Virginia in rushing as a sophomore in 1986, and became one of just 11 WVU players to rush for more than 200 yards in a game against Temple in 1985.