Welcome to morganton.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

Morganton.com - Morganton - The News Herald

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

Johnson, Foust inducted into Burke Sports Hall of Fame

Jennifer Frew | The News Herald

Mike Foust, left, stands in for his father, the late Clinton Foust, who shares the honor with retired NFL football player Leon Johnson, right, as the 2010 inductees into the Burke County Sports Hall of Fame. Foust and Johnson were recognized in a special ceremony Saturday at the Morganton Community House.

Jason Baker

sports@morganton.com

Published: February 8, 2010

MORGANTON - Two notable Burke County sports figures, former director of Morganton Parks & Recreation Clinton Foust and NFL football player Leon Johnson, were were inducted on Saturday into the Burke County Hall of Fame.
Foust passed away in 2008 and was inducted posthumously, but Johnson attended the ceremony in the Morganton Community House.
Johnson has been a standout football player since he played quarterback at Freedom High School all the way through National Football League.
As quarterback for the Patriots, Johnson showed the community he was a phenomenal athlete. In 1991, he was named to the North Carolina All-State Team and was a Shrine Bowl selection. In 1992, he also was the state champion in long jump.
Playing football for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels he also had a memorable career in Chapel Hill. Johnson was rookie of the year in 1993, a second-team All-ACC selection in 1996 and selected for the 1997 Senior Bowl. He holds the ACC record for career all-purpose yards and is the only ACC player ranked in the top five in touchdowns, all-purpose yards and scoring. He also among the top 10 in career rushing yards and career receptions.
He was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Jets.
He told Saturday's audience one of his favorite memories from the pro game "was going on the field and being considered as an NFL player. I think the first game was with the Philadelphia Eagles and it was amazing to be on the same field as some of the guys you hear on TV."
In 2001 we signed with the Chicago Bears and in 2003 with the San Diego Chargers. Johnson hung up his cleats after two seasons with the Chargers where he played with Drew Brees.
Perhaps not surprisingly, he said his pick to win the Super Bowl is the Saints.
"I believe people are more hungry to go after their first than No. 2," Johnson said.
During his pro career he was named to the Pro Football Weekly and Football News all-rookie teams and was co-player of the year with the Chargers.
He was the first Jet to return both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdowns, tied the Jets' record with a 101-yard kickoff return and remains tenth in NFL punt return average.
He returned 161 punts 1,555 yards and 115 kickoffs for 2, 571 yards. He had 217 carries for 799 yards, 46 receptions for 489 yards and scored 13 career touchdowns.
Johnson's advice to other high school football players in Burke County is "never think that just because you are in a small town that big things can't happen."
Foust, who passed away in September 2008, was an icon in parks and recreation in the state of North Carolina. One of Saturday's speakers, former Mecklenburg Recreation Director Wayne Weston, said Foust was "Mr. Recreation for Western North Carolina."
Foust graduated from UNC in 1951. He accepted the position of Morganton's recreation director in 1958.
Among his honors, he was named Morganton Jaycees Young Man of the Year in 1961 and was elected president of the N.C. Recreation and Park Society in 1967 and president of Morganton Rotary in 1978. He received the N.C. RPS Fellow Award in 1969, was Morganton Man of the Year in 1980 and became a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow in 1985.
He was a U.S Army veteran who served in Italy during Korea conflict. He was a past president of the Burke County Fair and Freedom High Athletic Association and on the board of Christmas Cheer Inc.