of having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder linked to repeated brain trauma. According to his daughter, Johnson could not talk or swallow in the final year of his life and also used a wheelchair. She told the San Francisco Chronicle that she hoped by donating her father's brain, it would "help with a cure." References Further reading External links 1929 births 2011 deaths American football fullbacks American football halfbacks American football players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy Canadian football running backs Arizona State Sun Devils football players Calgary Stampeders players Detroit Lions players Houston Oilers players Pittsburgh Steelers players Saint Mary's Gaels football players San Francisco 49ers players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Western Conference Pro Bowl players Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Waterproof, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football American Football League players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people