Report: Former Steelers wide receiver Charles Johnson dies at age 50

Former Steelers wide receiver Charles Johnson has died at the age of 50, a North Carolina television station reported Tuesday night.

Johnson was the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 1994 draft. A cause of death was not reported.

Johnson played five seasons with the team, catching 247 passes for 3,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was a 1,000-yard receiver in 1996, recording 60 catches for 1,008 yards and three scores.

He was the first receiver chosen in the 1994 draft, and he drew high praise from coach Bill Cowher at the time.

“He has a tough, kind of aggressive mentality for a receiver,” Cowher said. “We think he’ll fit in well here. He won’t shy away from anybody and you kind of like that in football players.”

Johnson also played for Philadelphia, New England and Buffalo before retiring in 2002. He won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2001.

According to CBS 17, Johnson was assistant athletic director at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, N.C.

Heritage’s football coaching staff was filled with ex-Steelers in the late 2010s, with Dewayne Washington as head coach and Willie Parker as one of his assistants.

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