From maintenance to the NFL, David Johnson’s new job is better than his old one

TEMPE, Ariz. — It doesn’t really matter what the Arizona Cardinals ask David Johnson, their third-round pick out of Northern Iowa, to do on the field.

It will have to be easier than the job he had in college when he wasn’t playing football.

Every summer while in school the running back worked a job.

His first summer job was asbestos removal.

“That did not work out too well,” he said last week when speaking to the media the Cardinals’ Tempe training facility. “I was losing so much weight and I was just dead tired. And then I was looking for a job where I could be close to campus so I didn’t have to commute far to go from job to lifting.”

So, Johnson found a maintenance job, and from 6:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., would be found helping to keep the school’s dorms in good shape.

When he was done with work, he had a short amount of time to eat before turning his attention to football from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

He estimated he had time for five to six hours of sleep per night.

Now in the NFL, he doesn’t have to worry about anything other than the sport.

“It definitely is going to be really nice,” he said. “I can focus more on football; I don’t have to worry about cleaning toilets and cleaning drains and stuff. I’m definitely glad I get to actually do what I love and get paid for it.”

Think Johnson appreciates the opportunity that’s in front of him?

A total of 256 players were selected over the course of the three-day draft, and hundreds more who were not drafted landed rookie free agent deals with various teams. Every one of them has a story, with some facing more hardship than others to get to where they are now.

While having to work a less-than-exciting job doesn’t necessarily fall into the “hardship” category, Johnson said he did not get paid to do the work, that instead it was a requirement. It helped make him the person and player he is today.

“It was definitely all worth it,” he said. “It made me really appreciate everything that I’ve done, everything that I had to sacrifice and go through. Especially in the summer, where a lot of people are in vacation but I have to do a job and have to work out. Definitely glad that it all paid off.”

It certainly didn’t hurt. Johnson rushed for 4,682 yards and 49 touchdowns during his career, and also tallied 1,734 yards and 14 scores through the air. The Cardinals see him as a three-down back, someone who could not only spell starter Andre Ellington, but take a large share of the load if need be.

The level of expectations being placed on Johnson is considerable, especially considering his draft slot and level of competition he faced in college at UNI. Six running backs were selected before the Cardinals nabbed him with the 86th overall pick.

His measurables were solid — 6-foot-1, 224 pounds with a 4.50 second 40-yard dash — but it may very well be his work ethic that sets him apart and leads to a successful career.

And that work ethic was honed during those summer days back in school.

“It taught me that not everything is given, you’ve got to work for everything,” he said. “Not everything is handed to you. If you want something, you’ve got to go get it. If you have to work for it, if you have to get a job — you’ve got to want it, want it bad enough to go get it, basically.”

If he did not know beforehand, the path he took through school to the NFL helped reaffirm to Johnson just how much he wanted to succeed in football.

No summer vacation? Early mornings working a tough job and then football workouts after that? It’s all good, because it led Johnson to Arizona. It led him to the NFL.

That is his new job, and it’s the only one he wants to have.

“My boss, I talked to him and he’s been working there, he’s done it for about 40 years,” Johnson said. “And he just said, ‘Man, you don’t want to be here, so if anything get your education and then play football for as long as you can.'”