THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 31, 1996 TAG: 9608310725
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL, N.C. LENGTH: 103 lines
From Charlie Justice to Michael Jordan, there may never have been a more natural athlete at the University of North Carolina than Leon Johnson.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior was drafted out of high school in Morganton, N.C., as a shortstop by the San Fancisco Giants. He has placed in the top four in four different ACC Championship track and field meets in the long jump.
But nothing comes more natural to Johnson than what he can do with a football - throwing it 60 yards in the air, punting it more than 50 yards, and running and catching it like few others in North Carolina history.
Johnson, called ``The Natural'' by admirers, could become the Tar Heels' all-time leader in pass receptions, points scored, touchdowns, and all-purpose yards by the time this season ends.
Not bad for someone who admittedly spent little time in the training room his first three years at North Carolina.
He relied mostly on his enormous natural talent after entering UNC as a quarterback and switching to tailback to become only the second freshman in school history to roll up more than 1,000 yards.
``I have been known not to lift weights very much since I was a quarterback,'' Johnson said with a huge laugh.
``But I spent a lot of time in the spring and summer in the weight room. I am in the best shape of my life for what I hope is going to be a real good season.''
The Tar Heels open the season today at home in Kenan Stadium against Clemson. The key ACC matchup will start at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ABC.
``Leon already was good but he's worked hard to get even better for this season,'' North Carolina defense end Greg Ellis said.
``I hate to go against him in practice. The other day I saw three guys going at him from different directions. All of a sudden he squirts free and they run together.''
Ellis said it was a funny scene, but he couldn't laugh much.
In the same scrimmage, he thought he had stopped Johnson in the backfield for a loss, ``but all I got was a piece of his jersey.''
Johnson lists pride as one of the reasons he worked so hard to prepare for the season.
Following his freshman year, when he rushed for 1,012 yards and 14 touchdowns, he was named to the Freshman All-America team and was discussed as being a Heisman Trophy candidate as a senior.
Johnson has come up short of the 1,000-yard mark the last two years, however. Thus, the premier running backs in the ACC being mentioned as Heisman Trophy candidates are Florida State's Warrick Dunn and Virginia's Tiki Barber.
``Even though we had a winning record (7-5) last year, Florida State and Virginia did better and their players were in the spotlight,'' Johnson said.
``I wasn't able to put up big numbers against the good teams like they (Dunn and Barber) did.''
Johnson did put up big numbers in UNC's 20-10 victory over Arkansas in the Carquest Bowl. He rushed for a school bowl record 195 yards and scored on a 28-yard run.
``I still haven't had the 200-yard game that I want, but I hope to pick up from where I left off in the bowl game,'' Johnson said.
``I still think about the Heisman, but with all the great running backs in the league, I'd just like to make All-ACC.''
Another of Johnson's goals this season is to meet the legendary Justice, who many fans regard as the greatest player in school history.
``I'd like to meet him and just talk to him,'' Johnson said.
``I see his name and his picture everywhere. He put up some good numbers and is remembered for it. That is what I would like to do myself. I want to be the one people are talking about in a few years.''
Another reason for the hard work in the spring and summer, Johnson said, was the new, more wide-open offense coach Mack Brown put in.
``The offense is totally different and I had to work harder to learn it instead of relying just on my natural ability,'' he said.
While the new offense is more pro-oriented, Brown said he intends to make maximum use of Johnson as a rusher and pass receiver.
``Leon has the best hands of any running back I've seen,'' Brown said. ``He also runs quicker routes out of the backfield and has the vision to spot holes.''
As for delivering on the ground, Brown said Johnson might be called on 20 to 30 times a game.
``I love to hear that,'' Johnson said. ``Coach Brown has confidence in giving me the ball in any situation and I am going to get the job done.''
Despite all the talk about North Carolina's new pro-style offense, Clemson coach Tommy West says he is still mostly concerned about the Tar Heels' running game.
``With them having an experienced offensive line and one of the top backs in the nation in Johnson, I don't expect to see 60 passes,'' West said. ``If they can run on us, we will have big time problems.''
Johnson said he is excited about opening the season with such a big conference game.
``It is a chance to show what we can do,'' Johnson said. ``Some people have us picked to finish sixth in the ACC and we are not in the Top 25 in the country. We feel we belong up there and the way to prove it is to win every game.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
UNC coach Mack Brown intends to give Leon Johnson the ball 20-30
times a game.
Chart
JOHNSON BY THE NUMBERS
For complete chart, see microfilm by CNB