DUB Magazine Feature : Rudi Johnson
When he steps out on the field, the fans chant “Rudi, Rudi, Rudi” as if it’s a chorus to a song everybody knows. No, this is not the story of that persevering kid from the University of Notre Dame who played every practice as if it was the championship game.
That was Rudy.
This is Rudi…Rudi Johnson, running back for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Similar to the feel-good story of Daniel E. “Rudy” Ruettiger made famous with the 1993 movie “Rudy” (TriStar Pictures), Rudi Ali Johnson knew he was destined to be a football player since he was a child.
“Ever since I was eight, I knew football was what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I never really thought about doing anything else.”
At a young age, Rudi made it his life goal to play in the NFL as noted in a poem he made for his mother, Janice Johnson, when he was in third grade titled “I Wish.” In his poem, the young, aspiring Rudi wrote how he wished to be a football player when he grew up, play for the Minnesota Vikings and be a fullback and play for 21 years.
“I never forgot that poem,” he said. “That poem motivated me to get where I am now and [I] always referred back to it when times got a bit rough.”
In his sixth year as an NFL pro, Rudi has become one of the league’s premier running backs. So, while he basically got his wish, it didn’t come easily.
Not having the grades to go to a Division I college after high school, Rudi had to spend two years at Butler County Community College in Kansas, where, as a sophomore, he averaged 7.3 yards per carry. His time there was anything but a waste.
“My best football memory is winning two national championships back-to-back while at Butler,” he remembered.
After his stint in Kansas, Rudi went to Auburn University, where his 324 rushing attempts was a school single-season record and his 1,567 rushing yards were the second-most in Auburn’s history.
In 2001, Rudi was drafted by the Bengals with the fifth pick of the fourth round of the NFL draft (100th pick overall) but saw very little playing time his first two seasons as a pro. His big chance came when first-string running back Corey Dillon missed much of the 2003 season with injuries.
“I knew I was prepared, and when the chance came, I had enough confidence in myself to prove to the coaches I had the ability to perform,” he said confidently. “I just needed that one chance, and I took full advantage of it when the time came.”
Becoming one of the NFL’s better running backs, Rudi was one of the main reasons for the Bengals’ dramatic improvement the past few seasons. His fans are certain that he will one day be remembered as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, but don’t think he’s done yet.
“I still have to go to the Super Bowl,” he said. Only 27 years old, Rudi believes he still has at least another good seven years to his game, and will continue to push himself harder each season.
When he’s not on the field, Rudi makes sure to get a lot of sleep, chill and travel as much as possible.
“I go to the Bahamas at least once a month,” he said. “I also travel between Cincinnati, Virginia Beach and Miami in my off season.”
But don’t think all the money and fame has changed this humble young man that grew up in a small town near Richmond, Virginia. He has a heart of gold and doesn’t mind giving back to his community.
“I remember where I came from and want to give back to my community, back home in Virginia and here in Cincinnati,” he said.
Instead of donating money to various foundations, Rudi decided to create his own charitable non-profit which his mother now runs.
“She enjoys every minute of working with the foundation, and it feels good to know I am helping others out,” he said.
Even as he helps those less fortunate, Rudi still lives the glamorous life, which can be seen in his plethora of cars—a drastic difference from when he was growing up, since he was a late bloomer and didn’t own his first car until he went pro.
“When I first signed to the Bengals, I bought myself my first car, which was a Lincoln Navigator that my brother now has,” he said.
Never turning back to the days when he had to walk, take public transportation or find a ride somewhere, Rudi now has four different cars from which to choose, depending on the occasion.
For his everyday excursions, or when he’s just driving to practice, Rudi likes to coast in his 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport supercharged by Kahn Design, North America (Moonachie, New Jersey) that was specially brought over to the U.S. from the U.K and assembled here from the bottom up.
“I wanted it to be exclusive,” he admitted. “I saw it in a magazine and tried to look for it here, but no one knew what I was talking about, so I had to have it shipped over from Europe and assembled here.”
Being his favorite car, Rudi made sure that the SUV came out exactly how he wanted. The interior consists of the Project Kahn piano black interior wood package and the Project Kahn leather interior package: perforated leather seat panels; contrasting stitching on doors, seats and center console; perforated leather steering wheel; and custom leather-covered rear subwoofer enclosure with contrasting stitching.
He listens to his favorite tunes through an iPod link and cradle, and his passengers never get bored, playing with a PlayStation 2 that was integrated into a rear seat entertainment system. He moves to the beat of three JL Audio 12w3v2 subwoofers, two Focal K2 6.5-inch, 200-Watt speaker components and Audison LRx 1.400, LRx 2.150 and LRx 2.500 amplifiers.
The black exterior turns heads with its Project Kahn body styling package that includes a front spoiler, fender flares, rear deck spoiler and 22-inch Kahn Design RS-D wheels (in a Titanium Silver finish) with Michelin 4×4 Diamaris 285/35R22 tires.
His “low-key” car is a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG with Lowenhart LD5 20×8.5-inch (front) and 20×10-inch (rear) wheels with Pirelli PZero 255/35R20 (front) and 285/30R20 (rear) tires.
His other chill car is a silver Mercedes-Benz G 500 (G-Wagen) with tinted windows and 24-inch GFG Klessig-7 wheels wrapped in Cooper Zeon XST 295/35R24 rubber.
His “bling-bling” car (or “game day” car as he refers to it) is a 2006 Bentley Arnage that he left stock (with the exception of tinted windows) because he didn’t want to mess with such a classy vehicle that has a built-in refrigerator and bar.
The wheels and tires on the CL 55 AMG, and the tinted widows on the G 500 and Arnage, were done by Spade Kreations (Cincinnati, Ohio).
“I have a driver that drives me to home games so I can relax in style,” Rudi said of his Arnage.
And style is just how Rudi plans to retire as he seeks to secure a future in real estate. The next Donald Trump? Maybe. Rudi invests in real estate around the country and hopes to continue this after his football days are over.
“You always need a backup plan,” he said. “But I’ll be in this game for a while.”
[...] looks to me – from checking out this DUB Magazine profile on him – that Rudi has a pretty fat (phat?) [...]