Rudi Johnson, whose hard-charging runs closed Bengals victories in the first years of the century to the Paycor Stadium chants of "Ruu-di, Ruu-di, Ruu-di," died Tuesday. He was 45.
Johnson, a low-slung 5-10, 228-pound running back, authored the two best rushing seasons in Bengals' history in 2004 and 2005 and is fourth on the club's all-time rushing list with 5,742 yards.
"Sundays, or Monday nights or Thursday nights, whenever the game was, you could see the twinkle in his eye when it was time to go," said Jim Anderson, his running backs coach during his 2001-2007 tenure with the Bengals. "He played football hard and tough. It was a tough game, and he embraced it. As the game went on, it seemed like he got better."
Everyone in Bengaldom, from grandmothers to grade-school boys to his offensive line, would chant his name when he was rolling because it meant Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer's offense was putting up numbers and Johnson was draining the clock.
"He was Joe Frazier. That's who he was," said Ray "Rock," Oliver, the Bengals assistant strength coach in that era who now and then invoked the name of the old heavyweight champion.
"He'd hit you with body blows in the fourth quarter and hit you with an uppercut, and that was it. Smokin' Joe? Smokin' Rudi. Setting you up in the fourth quarter. The guy gets stronger as the game goes on, and that defies physiology and science. You didn't want to see him in the fourth quarter, God knows."
Like in 2005, when the Bengals ruled the AFC North in a year Johnson broke his team rushing record, Palmer set the team passing record and Chad Johnson broke his team receiving record.
"He lit up the locker room. A joyful presence. He had such the big smile, and he loved being around the fellas. And his family was always around after the games hanging," Palmer said.
"He loved his business, and he was all about his business. An incredible player. He had to wait his turn and when he got his opportunity, he took off."
Drafted with the 100th pick in the fourth round in 2001 after Jim Anderson got on the table for him, Johnson played just one year at Auburn and didn't run a good 40-yard dash.
"The fullback from Auburn went higher (Heath Evans in the third round). Rudi should have gone higher," Jim Anderson said. "He didn't run a fast 40, but he played football fast, and that one year at Auburn was an All-SEC type of year. Tremendous leg strength. Great balance and contact balance. And a tough guy."
Johnson sat behind the club's all-time leading rusher until Corey Dillon got hurt early in the 2003 season. He had played in just a dozen games before his breakout, a 101-yard effort in an Oct. 26, 2003 win over Seattle, and his popularity with his teammates could be seen in a post-game vignette.
When the Bengals public relations team of Jack Brennan and P.J. Combs announced Johnson was headed to the news conference room, Bengals Ring of Honor right tackle Willie Anderson smiled.
"Listen to that," Willie Anderson said. "Rudi Johnson to the news conference room."
It was the first of many. The next month at Paycor with the "Ru-u-di,' chant at full throat, he swiped the clock from the Texans with 182 yards on 43 carries, still the second most in an NFL game. The next week, he willed the air out of the Chiefs' 9-0 season on a 54-yard run with under three minutes left to give him 165 yards in the 24-19 signature win of the Lewis Era.
"We had two great backs, and he was ready to go when he was called," said Marvin Lewis, then in his first season as head coach. "Reliable. That's for sure. He didn't catch well when he came out, but he worked on that and became good at it."
Johnson's emergence paved the way for Dillon's trade to New England the next spring, and Johnson proceeded to break Dillon's club record with 1,454 yards in 2004.
Just to prove the "Ru-udi," chant could travel, when the Bengals clinched the 2005 AFC North title in Detroit on Dec. 18, 2005, the stadium rocked with Bengals fans who made the drive up I-75 as Johnson rushed for 117 yards on the way to breaking his own club record with 1,458.
As popular as Johnson was with his teammates, he had a special niche with the fans. In the spring of 2005, he spent an hour on the practice field with Katherine Heavner, a Bengals fan who worked nationally with the blind and visually impaired, helping her "see," the game.
He used "Power 24," his bread-and-butter play.
"I wanted to put a picture in her mind from the huddle until the end of the play," Johnson told Bengals.com. "Let her know what everybody is doing besides me, J.J. (fullback Jeremi Johnson), (right tackle) Willie (Anderson) and (right guard) Bobbie (Williams) and (left guard Eric) Steinbach. The wide receivers. To make that work, a lot of people have to be successful …I told her she's going to be hearing a lot about that play this year."
Heavner left Paycor beaming.
"At first, I explained to him this is an opportunity for him to share his passion for the game, and he did," she told Bengals.com "He brought the game to life for me."
On Wednesday, his old coaches and teammates were saying the same thing.
"I will smile when I think about that guy," Rock Oliver said.
