by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Mark Brunell may be gone but the Jacksonville Jaguars are still a team that puts the spirit in spiritual.
Brunell was the quarterback of the religious element of the team and the on-field quarterback and he’s now leading the Washington Redskins in prayers and play.
Today’s leader isn’t a player, but he once was, and the Jaguars have accepted Anthony Johnson as the 1,000 yard rusher in religion as he once was with the Carolina Panthers.
“God led me here,” said the soft-spoken Johnson in his tiny office deep under Alltel Stadium. “The Lord guides my life. He led me through 11 years of playing and he’s leading me here.”
He’s an informal member of the organization. The club provides office space in a tiny room off the visitors’ locker room — its other use is for press conferences after games — but he isn’t paid by the Jags, nor is he listed in the media guide.
Johnson conducts the weekly Bible study, the chapel service and works one-on-one with members of the Jaguars organization who feel the need. A chapel draws 35-40, there are a dozen regulars at Bible study and a half-dozen visit frequently.
“Mark and Tony (Boselli) were great leaders,” said Johnson, “but I have something they didn’t — I have complete access. When Coach (Tom) Coughlin was here, he didn’t allow the chaplain to go everywhere. Coach (Jack) Del Rio is totally supportive.”
Johnson is with the players so much that one can easily think he’s on the team. The 6-footer is still trim and perhaps just a few pounds lighter than his playing weight of 225 pounds.
He’s a familiar face in the locker room and travels with the squad.
Brunell and Boselli, an offensive tackle who was the team’s first-ever draft choice, put the Jaguars in the religion pages. They conducted studies and chapels when they were players here and were instrumental in founding a Southpoint church.
That’s not Johnson’s future.
“I work quietly with whoever needs me,” said Johnson, who turns 37 on Oct. 25. “It is my calling.”
As one would expect from a person who grew up in South Bend, Ind., and attended Notre Dame.
He played for five National Football League teams and his best year was 1996, when he rushed for 1,122 yards as the Panthers came within a game of the Super Bowl.
He finally retired after being cut after the 2000 season by the Jaguars. His faith led him to a position with the Campus Crusade of Christ, the Orlando-based Christian organization that funds mission work.
He’s taking summer classes at a divinity school and hopes to attend the prestigious Dallas Theological Seminary.
“I’m a full-time missionary,” said Johnson. “I have to raise my support. This is where God wants me” and, unspoken, He will
provide.