Derrick Johnson is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He played 13 seasons with the Chiefs, earning spots in four Pro Bowls. Yet on Saturday, he enjoyed a career moment just by giving a speech.
It wasn’t any speech. Johnson returned to the University of Texas and gave the commencement address at the College of Education’s graduation ceremonies. His mother, who worked as a teacher for four decades, was in the audience. Johnson earned his degree in 2020, 16 years after he left school. Saturday’s commencement address was Johnson’s 20-year anniversary of his senior season, when he won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.
Jermichael Finley, a former Longhorn tight end who joined UT the season after Johnson departed, also was in the audience. Finley played for the Green Bay Packers from 2008-13. A terrifying injury to his spinal cord, which left him partially paralyzed for a day, eventually forced his retirement. On Saturday, Finley walked the graduation stage and gave Johnson a big hug to celebrate Finley’s degree.
Derrick Johnson called commencement speech one of the biggest moments of his career
Johnson told KVUE News that he “probably had a little more butterflies. Usually, I have my helmet on and I can hide myself a little bit. (But there was) no hiding.”
He added: “after I got up there, I was comfortable. I knew I had a purpose to serve and help the next generation. … This is probably one of the biggest accomplishments of my career, even over football stuff. I feel like I can relate to these kids out here and make somebody better. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.”
Finley also took note of how much he’d been through. And he wanted to share that with his fellow graduates. Maybe they could feel inspired.
“Showing kids you can go through all the peaks and valleys and the ups and the downs,” Finley said. “One thing you have to do is come back and finish school, accomplish something like this. It’s bigger than the Super Bowl for me.”
Finley helped the Packers win Super Bowl XLV.
Derrick Johnson and his wife, along with their six children, moved back to Austin when Johnson retired from the NFL. He mentored Longhorn defenders last season when UT reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs.
He also is in charge of his Defend the Dream Foundation. It’s all about eliminating illiteracy.
In an interview last summer, Johnson told the Austin American-Statesman:
“‘I’m big on serving. Serving my family, serving my charity and serving UT football. I’m working in my purpose, and I’m enjoying it.”
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