Travis Johnson life and biography

Travis Johnson (born April 26, 1982 in Los Angeles, California) is an American football defensive end/defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

The last 12 months have been a roller-coaster ride for Johnson. A former first-round pick, he was traded to the Chargers last August, just weeks before the 2009 season began. The move was a blessing for Johnson and a steal for the Chargers as they secured his services for just a sixthround draft pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Johnson played nearly 300 snaps his first season in San Diego, played in his first-ever postseason game, and was a valuable commodity on a line that was hit hard by injuries.

After the season was over, Johnson had to face a situation that no parent ever wants to face. Married and the father of four children all under the age of five, his four-year-old daughter, Zoe, was admitted to the hospital in January for pneumonia. While there, she suffered two strokes within a couple weeks of each other. It was a trying time for the Johnson family, but they received incredible support from doctors and the San Diego community, and Zoe is on her way to making a complete recovery.

Johnson met his wife, Zaire, in Houston. She is the sister of one of his former teammates, defensive end Robaire Smith, who now plays for the Cleveland Browns. Smith introduced the two. Travis and Zaire have three other children, daughters Taj and Alexis, and son Travis II. Johnson and his wife are in the early stages of setting up a nonprofit foundation to raise awareness and support for families who have been affected by cancer, diabetes and childhood illnesses, all of which have affected their family.

Johnson is still good friends with several of his former teammates from Florida State who now play in the NFL. The group, dubbed "The Usual Suspects," travels together quite often. Its members includes Oakland's Mario Henderson, Seattle's Ray Willis, Jacksonville's Greg Jones, Arizona's Bryant McFadden, St. Louis' Alex Barron and Carolina’s Eric Moore. The Usual Suspects have traveled to several international destinations, including Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Bora-Bora. Johnson has an international legacy as both of his parents, Edmund and Eleanor, were born in Panama. Johnson's hobbies are movies and sports, including baseball, basketball and bowling. In Houston, he held season tickets for the Astros and Rockets. Johnson is also an avid collector of sports memorabilia and has acquired items from Muhammad Ali, Pele, Deacon Jones, The Steel Curtain and The Big Red Machine. With an eye toward the future, Johnson is an investor and partner in the ZT Group in Houston. He and former teammates Chester Pitts and Ephraim Salaam, both San Diego State alums, have teamed up with a group of physicians to invest in medical imaging and distribution centers.

TRANSACTION HISTORY: First-round pick (16) by HOU, April 23, 2005...signed with Texans, Aug. 1...traded to Chargers, Aug. 31, 2009 for sixth-round draft choice (197) in 2010.

2009: INA Weeks 2-4 (groin)...Game Ball from coaches Dec. 13 at DAL for his role in key 2Q GL stand...season-high six TTs Jan. 3 vs. WAS.

2008: INA vs. TEN Sept. 21 (knee)...sack Oct.26 vs. CIN.

2007: First-career INT Sept. 9 vs. KC.

2006: Season-best eight TTs Sept. 17 at IND...inj. calf Nov. 12 at JAC...placed on IR Nov. 14.

2005: First-career sack Nov. 6 at JAC...career-high eight TTs vs. SF Jan. 1.

COLLEGE: First-team All-ACC in 2004...finished career with 175 TT, 43.5 TFLs and 10 sacks...redshirted in 2000...played at Florida State from 2000-04...sociology degree.

PERSONAL: Born in Sherman Oaks, Calif....All-America DL and school record-holder for sacks, TFLs, FFs and blocked punts at Notre Dame HS in Sherman Oaks.

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