Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Philadelphia native Charlie Johnson was one of the top tackles in the nation during his collegiate career and a consensus All-American who played an integral role on Villanova teams that made back-to-back bowl game appearances his junior and senior seasons. He played on the Wildcats varsity squad from 1960-62 and graduated in 1963. Johnson was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1982.
 
As a senior in 1962, Johnson was named a first team All-American by Williamson All-American. It was one of several honors he earned that year, as he also garnered Associated Press honorable mention accolades and was selected to the Catholic Digest Catholic College All-America first team. Johnson was both an Associated Press and United Press International All-East selection in 1962, as well as an Associated Press All-Pennsylvania pick.
 
Villanova went 7-3 in 1962 and made its second straight bowl game appearance when it took on Oregon State in the Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia. Despite being a heavy underdog to a Beavers squad led by that year’s Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker, the Wildcats were game for the challenge and suffered only a narrow 6-0 setback. Joe helped anchor a Villanova offensive line that allowed the team to average 205.8 rushing yards per game, 307.7 total yards per contest and 20.8 points per game for the 1962 season.
 
One year earlier the Wildcats turned the tables after two straight losing seasons and ran off an 8-2 record in 1961, capped off by a 17-9 win over Wichita State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Johnson and the rest of the line enabled the Villanova offense to rush for 188.8 yards per game while scoring 23.9 points per contest. The Wildcats had a plus-14.0 scoring margin against their opposition for the season. After his lay during the 1961 campaign, Johnson was selected as a team captain entering his senior year.
 
Johnson played one season professionally for the Winnipeg Bombers of the CFL and was an offensive lineman during the 1965 season.
 
In his professional career Johnson was a vice president for an industrial sales company in York, Pa. He remained close to the Villanova program after his graduation. In 1985 when the Wildcats restored football following a four-year absence, Johnson noted that “nothing takes the place of football” on a college campus. “It’s in the fall that your thoughts go back to your old college. … The familiar sound is a punted ball. Or a roar after a touchdown.”
 
Johnson’s jersey number – 77 – was retired on the Wall of Fame in Villanova Stadium in 2001.