Remembering Tre’ Johnson: A Washington Bright Spot Who Found His True Calling After Football
In the NFL, legacies are often measured in sacks allowed, Pro Bowl nods, or Super Bowl rings. For Tre’ Johnson, though, the real story began after the final whistle blew on his nine-year career in the trenches. Because while he was a force on the offensive line in Washington, it’s what he did after football that truly defined him.
Johnson, who passed away suddenly at 54, was more than a second-round pick who started 69 games and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 1999. He was more than a powerful, versatile guard who could hold his own on either side of the line.
He was more than the Ed Block Courage Award winner who battled through injuries with quiet toughness. Tre’ Johnson was a teacher.
A mentor. A man who traded in his helmet for a chalkboard and found a new kind of greatness.
From the Gridiron to the Classroom
After hanging up his cleats in 2002, Johnson didn’t chase the spotlight. He didn’t transition into media or front-office roles like so many former players do.
Instead, he went back to school - literally - becoming a history teacher at the Landon School for Boys in Bethesda, Maryland. And while he did help coach the football team, his impact there went far beyond the X’s and O’s.
Landon isn’t a football factory. It’s a small, academically rigorous school nestled just outside Washington, known more for shaping minds than churning out NFL talent.
But Johnson fit right in. Or maybe more accurately, he stood out in all the right ways.
He was a towering figure on campus - both physically and intellectually. At over 300 pounds, tattooed and riding a motorcycle, he looked every bit the former NFL lineman.
But in the classroom, he was known for his sharp wit, deep curiosity, and ability to connect with students on a personal level. He wasn’t just Mr.
Johnson, the teacher. He was a mentor, a counselor, and a friend.
A Career That Deserved More Spotlight
On the field, Johnson’s career came during a transitional period for Washington’s football franchise. Drafted in 1994 out of Temple, where he was a three-time all-conference player and a Lombardi Award finalist, he arrived just as the glory days of the original Hogs were fading into memory.
Early on, he learned behind veterans like Ray Brown and Raleigh McKenzie before stepping into a starting role in 1995. Johnson brought versatility and power to the line, switching between left and right guard as needed.
The unit around him struggled for consistency, but in 1999, things clicked. With rookie Jon Jansen at right tackle and veteran Andy Heck on the left, Washington’s offensive line finally had some stability - and Johnson was at the heart of it.
That 1999 season was a high point. Johnson’s dominant play earned him second-team All-Pro recognition, and he was honored with the Ed Block Courage Award for his perseverance through injuries.
But the momentum didn’t last. Ownership changes and front office instability took their toll, and by 2002, Johnson’s body had endured enough.
He retired at 31.
A Lasting Impact Off the Field
While his playing days were behind him, Johnson was just getting started in terms of influence. At Landon, he brought the same intensity and intelligence he showed on the field into the classroom.
He wasn’t there to relive past glories or impress with stories from the NFL. He was there to teach - and to listen.
Ed Sundt, a longtime Landon faculty member, once described Johnson as “a combination of William Faulkner and Casey Stengel.” That’s high praise from a man known for his own sharp mind, and it speaks to just how unique Johnson was. He brought a storyteller’s soul and a coach’s clarity to every conversation, every lesson, every interaction.
He didn’t need a Hall of Fame bust to leave a legacy. Just ask the students who sat in his classroom, the players who lined up under his guidance, or the colleagues who came to count him as a friend.
More Than Football
Tre’ Johnson’s story isn’t just about football. It’s about transformation.
About choosing purpose over prestige. About using the platform of professional sports not as a pedestal, but as a stepping stone to something more meaningful.
His former coach, Norv Turner, once called him one of the strongest players he’d ever been around. His former quarterback, Brad Johnson, called him an inspiration. But for so many people in the Washington area - especially those who walked the tree-lined paths of Landon’s campus - Tre’ Johnson will be remembered not for what he did in pads, but for the life he built after them.
He was a great football player. But he was an even better man.