Rory Johnson’s football journey from Vicksburg to Berlin

Football was always a big part of Rory Johnson’s life as he was growing up in Vicksburg down Highway 61 South.

Johnson started playing football at the Vicksburg YMCA when he was in third grade. In fifth grade, he switched to the city league where he would really learn the fundamentals of the game. When Johnson entered Vicksburg Junior High a couple of years later, he was more advanced than a lot of his teammates because he had started playing football at a young age.

Johnson’s eighth-grade team successfully made it to the Little Six Championship but lost to crosstown rival Warren Central in 1999. The next season, in ninth grade, Johnson helped the Gators win the Little Six title before he entered varsity football.

In his sophomore season in 2001, he played for VHS head coach Alonzo Stevens who made him the starting outside linebacker for the Gator defense. Johnson teammates that season included some great athletes including Andre Bennett and Justin Henry. The Gators reached the third round of the playoffs that year which marked one of the best seasons in VHS history. During the offseason, Johnson was training hard to prepare for his junior year.

“My junior year is when I became ‘Rory Johnson,’ and when my talents truly began to show,” Johnson said.

Johnson was a top 20 junior in Mississippi going into the 2002 season, which would become his best yet. He finished the year with 96 tackles and 12 sacks, and he also helped the Gators defeat the Vikings 27-12. Johnson’s success in his junior year got him on the Dandy Dozen list which consists of the top twelve players in the state of Mississippi.

Johnson led his team again in his senior year, finishing with 88 tackles, but only played in eight games due to injuries.

Shortly after the 2003 season, Johnson committed to play football at Mississippi State University. but decided to attend Hinds Community College instead. He spent two seasons at Hinds where he started all games and became a junior college All-American.

After attending an LSU vs. Ole Miss football game, where Johnson saw future NFL linebacker Patrick Willis playing, he decided to play for the University of Mississippi. He landed at Ole Miss in 2006, where he played one season and racked up 98 tackles.

Johnson went undrafted in the NFL but briefly played for teams such as the Packers and the Giants before being released.

In 2009, Johnson got the chance to play in the German Football League in Berlin, where he’s been for the past 10 years. Johnson has become a football celebrity in Europe, and he helped his team win the 2014 European Championship. He’s been the lead tackler every year since arriving in Germany, but after next season, he plans to retire and hang up his football cleats.

“I would like to go back to school and start coaching,” Johnson said.

Johnson plans on staying in Berlin for a little while after retirement, but eventually, he would like to return to the United States.

To this day Johnson remains the last Dandy Dozen from the city of Vicksburg. He credits his parents and coaches for his success in life and football. He said they always supported him every step of the way.

“Stay focused and out of trouble,” Johnson advises young athletes.