Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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wonder why Johnson seemingly disap- peared after his senior season in 2011, only to resurface in the hours after the 2012 NFL Draft with a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. O ne day, Ethan Johnson will open up when the emotions aren't so raw. Un- til then, some folks will continue to Dame information de- partment said Johnson, who appeared in 47 games (37 starts) for the Fighting Irish at defen- sive tackle and defensive end, wasn't pursuing a professional career, which seemed odd considering the 6-4, 300-pounder has ex- celled at every level of organized football since he began putting the hurt on people as a kid in Portland, Ore. It seemed odd that someone with Johnson's talent and drive wasn't going to test himself against The Notre sports Ethan Johnson Continues To Show Character FIGHTING WORDS WES MORGAN the best. Then again, if you know the some- what eccentric Johnson at all, you already know he marches to the beat of his own drum. Johnson — with his mother, Rita — put his family before his dream of pursuing a career in the NFL. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND zor-sharp wit, sarcasm and intelligence. Without being rude, he'd always let you know when you asked a stupid question. He kept his nose clean, worked hard and did things the right way. But without per- sistence, there was little chance at figuring out what made the big man tick. JUNE/JULY 2012 7 in high school, Johnson did things differ- ently. When his classmates were enjoying every- thing the Pacific Northwest of- fers during the summertime, he spent the months after his sophomore and junior years as an intern with a Portland law firm. The Men- doza College of Business gradu- ate always was armed with ra- Even back