sidelined, his teammates began to taunt him, given that Johnson was a rookie. They were implying through teasing him that Johnson was not truly injured, but was not tough enough to play football at the professional level. Eventually, Johnson was fed up, and retorted, "I can't wait 'til I'm back on the field – and when I come back, I'll come back fighting like a Tiger!" The nickname "Tiger" stuck forever, and his tenacity on the field was always a prime, living contributor to his nickname's legitimacy. He was a line coach for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976, when Paul Brown retired as the team's head coach and named Tiger as his successor. Tiger won 18 and lost 15, but resigned five games into the 1978 season after starting 0–5. He and Marvin Lewis are the only coaches in franchise history to leave the team with a winning record. After his head coaching tenure, Johnson was an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1979 to 1982 and the Detroit Lions from 1983 to 1984. He finished his career by reuniting with the Bengals as an assistant in 1985. He retired as the Bengals tight ends coach in 1990. He was the father of three children, Bill, Sherilyn, and Thomas. Eldest son Bill was the former CEO of HJ Heinz. 1926 births 2011 deaths American football centers Cincinnati Bengals coaches Detroit Lions coaches San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) players San Francisco 49ers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches Texas A&M Aggies football players Tyler Apaches football players Western Conference Pro Bowl players Sportspeople from Tyler, Texas Cincinnati Bengals head coaches