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Former NFL wide receiver Charles Johnson has died at the age of 50, several former teammates confirmed to CBS 17 in North Carolina on Tuesday (July 19) night.
Johnson, a former first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, had recently been working as the assistant athletic director at Heritage High School in Wake Forest.
The former University of Colorado standout was selected by the Steelers at No. 17 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and spent his first five seasons (1994-98) with the franchise, which included an AFC championship victory and Super Bowl appearance during the 1995 season.
Johnson spent two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (1999-2000) before his lone season with the Patriots in 2001, which concluded with a 20-17 win against the then-St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, the franchise's first of its NFL record-tying six Super Bowl championships, though Johnson didn't register a statistic in the game.
Johnson spent his final NFL season with the Buffalo Bills in 2002.
The San Bernardino, California native recorded 354 receptions for 4,606 yards and 24 touchdowns during his nine NFL seasons, which included 247 receptions for 3,400 yards and 15 touchdowns during his five seasons in Pittsburgh.