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Name: Ian Johnson
Hometown: San Dimas, CA
Birth: September 25, 1985
Height: 5 foot 11
Weight: 194 lbs.
High School: Damien High School
College: Boise State Broncos
Position: Runningback |
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The Broncos finished the regular season unbeaten (12-0) and became only the second team from outside the BCS conferences to play in a BCS bowl game. They played in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners, the year's Big 12 champion. In the Fiesta Bowl, he scored the game winning two-point conversion in overtime on a Statue of Liberty play to the left side. Boise State defeated Oklahoma 43-42, completing a perfect 13-0 season. Minutes later, during an interview with Chris Myers, Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics, Boise State's head cheerleader, on Fox Sports' postgame coverage. She accepted.
Johnson had been considered a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate. However, shortly after the announcement of his consideration for the Heisman Trophy, a collapsed lung sidelined Johnson for one game and hurt his chances of winning the Heisman. After the end of the 2006 regular season, he led NCAA Division I-A in scoring with 24 touchdowns. On December 7, 2006, Sports Illustrated named Johnson to their 2006 All-American first team. This made Johnson the first Boise State athlete to be named to a major All-American team. He was also named to the All-WAC team, won the Division I-A Offensive Player of the Week award and two WAC Offensive Player of the Week awards, and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award.
Ian Johnson's main source of income had been from the sales of crocheted beanies he sold to teammates, fans, and fellow students. According to a November 11, 2006 interview broadcast on ESPN, the cost of each beanie was $15. However, in late 2006, the NCAA later ruled that Johnson could not profit from his growing celebrity status, nor could he donate the proceeds to charity. He had to cease all sales.
