John “Curley” Johnson, the punter on the Jets’ Super Bowl III team, died Sunday at the age of 80.
Johnson was drafted by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1975 NFL Draft, but played his first game with the Dallas Texans of the AFL. He signed with the then-Titans in 1961 and spent eight seasons with the team that would be renamed the Jets in 1963. He set the franchise record, since broken, with a 45.3 yard average on punts in 1965.
Johnson’s final game with the Jets was the 16-7 upset win over the Colts in Super Bowl III.