Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes announced Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson joining the Florida A&M Athletics Department as an Ambassador and Consultant in March 2023.
In this role, Johnson will participate in special projects to support and advance the state of FAMU Athletics, as identified by the athletics director.
Johnson, a Miami, Florida native, was drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2001 NFL Draft. Johnson burst on the scene in his second season, finishing with 69 receptions for 1,166 yards and five touchdowns. After that, Johnson had 1,000+ receiving yards in seven of the next eight seasons, including a career-high 1,440 receiving yards in 2007. Johnson also scored a career-high ten receiving touchdowns in 2003, his third year in the league. Johnson went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL and finished with 766 receptions for 11,059 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns. Johnson went on to be named a six-time NFL Pro Bowler and four-time NFL All-Pro. Johnson is currently the Bengals franchise leader in the following:
- Career receptions (751)
- Career receiving yards (10,783)
- Career receiving touchdowns (66)
- Career yards from scrimmage (10,958)
- Career All-Purpose Yds (10,964)
- Career games with 100+ receiving yards (31)
- Career Games with 1+ touchdown (50)
- Career 1000+ receiving yard seasons (7)
After his professional football career, Johnson played professional soccer for Boca Raton FC in 2018 and 2019. Johnson scored his first goal on October 18, 2018, in a 2-0 win versus FC Boca Predators. Johnson worked as an analyst for Fox Sports during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Johnson has shown to be a FAMU Athletics supporter as he is often seen wearing Florida A&M apparel, attending Florida A&M games and events, and publicly supporting Florida A&M on social media.
