Achi news desk-
On the verge of fulfilling a lifelong dream, Canadian Theo Johnson’s path to the National Football League (NFL) is a story of hardships and triumph.
Johnson is one of the strongest prospects heading into this week’s NFL Draft. The 23-year-old is coming off his fourth NCAA season at Penn State, but before he excelled in the sport of football Johnson was first introduced to the game in Cambridge, Ont.
Johnson grew up with his mother Amy and his five siblings. At a young age, the family suffered a period of domestic violence at the hands of Theo’s father.
After her separation, Amy enrolled the boys in various recreational activities. For Theo, his outlet was football.
“It was clear the boy loved football,” said Steve Amis, former president of the Cambridge Minor Football Association. “The whole family was united.”
Theo played for Cambridge Wolverines, jumping between several positions.
“He was a bigger kid for sure,” Amis told CTV News. “Always the first kid on the field, didn’t want to leave the field.”
Theo continued his soccer journey at Windsor after Amy was accepted to the University of Windsor Law School.
“Two law schools basically laughed her out of their offices and said ‘sorry you have six kids, you want to go to law school, don’t waste our time,'” TSN football insider Dave Naylor told CTV News. “the third [school] She said ‘yes’ and she was going to make this opportunity pay off.”
Amy went on to become a family law attorney and started her own practice.
“Amy Johnson in and of herself is a story,” Naylor said. “If she never had a son who played football, her family story, her personal story is still a story worth telling.”
Theo went on to play at Holy Names High School in Windsor before transferring to Penn State. With the draft opening this week in Detroit, some NFL scouts expect Johnson to be one of the top prospects at his position.
“You see a player who has all the tools,” Naylor said. “He’s got speed, he’s got athleticism, he’s got strength, he’s got hands, and he’s got the blocking. We think he’ll be in that mix in the second and third rounds.”
Johnson’s talents bring him closer to the brightest stage of the game. While his family’s success story extends so far beyond the football field.
“I think a lot of this family’s emotion will be released when Theo Johnson is drafted,” Naylor said.[This is] In a very short list of the most amazing stories I’ve heard.”
