For a while now, Fresno State’s Jamal Ellis and Justin Johnson have had careers picked out for after football:
Becoming firefighters.
Sure, an NFL career would be the ultimate goal, but the alternative seems like a natural fit considering both of their fathers are firefighters.
Arthur Ellis, 55, started his career in 1983 and is a battalion chief for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Jermaine Johnson, 42, has been with L.A. County Fire for 71/2 years and is an engineer in Compton.
Firefighting correlates to football in one primary way:
“Teamwork,” said Ellis, a junior cornerback listed as a backup to senior starter Charles Washington on the preseason depth chart.