Oilers Sign Johnson to Two-Year Pact

Richard Johnson, a former San Pedro High and Harbor College standout who led the Detroit Lions in receiving the past two seasons, said Thursday he has agreed to terms with the Houston Oilers as a Plan B free agent.

“It’s gonna be great,” Johnson told KRIV-TV in Houston. “I decided on Houston because of the coaching staff and the offense. (Coach) Jack (Pardee) and myself have known each other for a long time.”

Oiler General Manager Mike Holovak told the Houston Chronicle Thursday that although Johnson had not signed a contract, he was certain Johnson would sign by Monday’s deadline for Plan B free agents.

The Chronicle reported the contract is for two years.

Johnson was the U.S. Football League’s leading receiver in 1984 and 1985 when he worked with quarterback Jim Kelly of the Pardee-coached Houston Gamblers. Johnson caught a U.S. pro football record 115 passes in 1984.

During the past two seasons with Detroit, Johnson caught 134 passes for 1,818 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Johnson, 30, began his pro football career as a running back with the USFL’s Denver Gold in 1983. Later that year, Johnson was chosen by the Gamblers in the USFL’s expansion draft.

After the USFL suspended operations in August of 1986, Johnson was out of football until returning as a free agent with the New York Jets in 1987. He was released in training camp, but spent time with the replacement teams of the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills during the NFL Players Assn. strike.

When the strike ended, Johnson was released. He took a job as an IBM computer programmer in Los Angeles, but returned to football when Darrel (Mouse) Davis, his offensive coordinator with the Gamblers, took a similar position with the Lions in 1989 and invited Johnson to training camp.