CHARLEY JOHNSON

New Mexico State University lost one of its finest legends on Sept. 3, 2024: Dr. Charles “Charley” Johnson ’61.

A native of Big Spring, Texas, Charley Johnson was the quintessential Aggie and one of NMSU’s greatest quarterbacks, leading the legendary 1959-1961 teams under Coach Warren Woodson. A standout in multiple sports, Johnson was recruited by NMSU with a basketball scholarship and quickly became the starting quarterback. His college career included two Sun Bowl victories and an undefeated 1960 season.

After graduation, Johnson joined the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals, balancing his football career with academics, earning a Master’s and Doctorate in Chemical Engineering. Following two years of active duty in the Army, he returned to the NFL, eventually leading the Denver Broncos to their first winning season in 1973. He transformed the Broncos from a team struggling with its passing game to a winning team and became one of the most efficient quarterbacks in Bronco’s history. He was inducted into the Broncos Hall of Fame in 1986. A teammate once said of him: “He taught us how to win.”

Johnson retired from football and enjoyed a successful career in the oil industry before returning to NMSU in 2000 as the head of the Chemical Engineering department, also serving as acting head football coach and assistant to the president for athletic progress.

His lifelong support of NMSU spanned coaching, mentoring, and charitable giving to athletics, engineering, the Alumni Association, and the Army ROTC. In 2005, he started the Warren B. Woodson Endowed Fund in the Athletics Department, which has since awarded scholarships to 15 student-athletes. In recognition of his extraordinary work, he received the James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service in 2022. Johnson and his late wife, Barbara—whom he met at NMSU—shared 62 years of marriage and had two children and several grandchildren.

Johnson’s legacy of athleticism, leadership, service, and generosity will have a lasting impact on New Mexico State University. In many ways, he exemplified what it means to truly win. The NMSU Foundation joins the entire community in mourning his loss while honoring the profound and enduring influence he leaves behind.