Chris Johnson Getting A Top Titans' Honor After Als Diagnosis

The Tennessee Titans' Ring of Honor includes the names of 13 players from Titans and Houston Oilers history. This September, the Nashville-based franchise will add a 14th.

Former Titans running back Chris Johnson will be inducted into the franchise Ring of Honor during the 2026 season opener, the team announced on July 17. Johnson will be honored with a ceremony at halftime of the Titans' Week 1 clash with the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium.

"Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans," Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in statement. "His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration. We look forward to welcoming him home on Sept. 13 and officially inducting him into the Titans Ring of Honor."

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"CJ2K" began his career with the Titans as a first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft after matching an NFL combine record with a 4.24-second 40-yard dash. Johnson earned his "CJ2K" nickname after rushing for 2,006 yards in 2009 and setting an NFL single-season record with 2,509 scrimmage yards in total.

In 95 games with the Titans between 2008 and 2013, Johnson tallied 7,965 rushing yards and scored 58 touchdowns.

He spent four more years in the NFL – one with the New York Jets, then three with the Arizona Cardinals – before announcing his retirement in 2018. He signed a one-day contract with the Titans in 2019 to officially retire as a member of the team that drafted him.

Chris Johnson's ALS diagnosis

On June 29, Johnson revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." The former NFL running back said he was diagnosed last year, when he was 39, and that the disease had progressed rapidly.

Johnson used a speech-generating device controlled with his eyes to convert typed text to speech in his interview with former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who is a host on "GMA."

"I want people to know I am still me," Johnson said in his interview. "ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn't changed who I am.

"If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope, it is worth it."

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Chris Johnson stats

With Titans:

• Games: 95 (93 starts)
• Rushes: 1,742
• Rushing yards: 7,965
• Yards per carry: 4.6
• Rushing touchdowns: 50
• Receptions: 272
• Receiving yards: 2,003
• Receiving touchdowns: 8
• Total scrimmageyards: 9,968
• Total yards per touch: 4.9

Career stats:

• Games: 130 (111 starts)
• Rushes: 2,163
• Rushing yards: 9,651
• Yards per carry: 4.5
• Rushing touchdowns: 55
• Receptions: 307
• Receiving yards: 2,255
• Receiving touchdowns: 9
• Total scrimmageyards: 11,906
• Total yards per touch: 4.8

What is ALS?

ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig's disease.

According to the United States National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke the degenerative disease "affects motor neurons ... the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing." ALS causes weakness in the muscles that gradually progresses and worsens. ALS eventually progresses to affect muscles needed for speaking, eating and breathing, making it a terminal disease.

There is currently no known cure for ALS, but researchers have developed treatments that can slow the speed at which the disease progresses. According to the NIH, most people with ALS die "within 3-to-5 years of symptoms first appearing." One in 10 people suffering from ALS survive 10-plus years.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Johnson getting a top Titans' honor after ALS diagnosis