CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Rudi Johnson, a graduate of Thomas Dale High School who went on to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, has died at age 45, as first reported by TMZ.
Johnson had just been inducted into the Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame, although he did not attend the ceremony in person.
According to his Hall of Fame inductee biography, Johnson's football career started when he was just 6 years old, playing for the Ettrick Trojans of the Chesterfield Quarterback League.
Johnson attended Butler Community College before playing for Auburn University where he rushed for more than 1,500 yards in a single season.
A fourth-round pick, Johnson entered the NFL in 2001 as a Cincinnati Bengal, where he earned Pro Bowl honors after setting the Bengals' single-season rushing record—a record he still holds.
Johnson spent the 2008 season with the Detroit Lions before his retirement.
Thomas Dale's football program shared a post on Facebook in Johnson's memory, saying in part:
"Rudi was a strong family man who loved all that he met, especially his family. He was a great son, a great husband, a great father and brother. At this time, let’s just all come together in prayer and show our support to the Johnson family."
His cause of death was not immediately known.
Johnson recorded a video message that was played as part of his induction into the Chesterfield Hall of Fame earlier this month.
"I just want to say dream big, shoot for the stars, stay focused, never give up," Johnson said in the recorded message. "And one more thing to all the kids from Chesterfield County, I'll be watching for the next star to be born."
In the two-minute video, Johnson reminisced about his time growing up in Chesterfield County and playing under inspirational coaches for both the Ettrick Trojans youth football team and Thomas Dale High School Knights.
Email tributes or memories of Rudi Johnson the CBS 6 Newsroom .
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