We could opt to look at his debut, in which he recorded seven tackles and had an interception. We could take a look at any of his three 18-tackle games throughout his career, including the 2003 effort against the 49ers in which he additionally hauled in an interception and brought it back for a touchdown. We could obviously choose to pay homage to the entire year of 2000, in which he won Defensive Player of the Year and tacked on a Super Bowl MVP performance in which he defended four passes and recorded five tackles.
But instead, we're going to step a little bit outside the box. Thanks to Reddit user Steed_Davidson, we were able to stumble upon Julian Sonny's article titled "The Things You Didn't Know About The Rock." Wait... The Rock? Where is this going?
One of the bullet points details that The Rock was college teammates with Ray Lewis for the 1994 Miami Hurricanes alongside future NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp and Rohan Marley, the son of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bob Marley. A quick fact check confirms all this info and leaves me wondering how I didn't know this before.
Just to recap the volume of star power in this defense: two Pro Football Hall of Famers, a guaranteed WWE Hall of Famer, and the son of a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and one of the most influential musical artists in history. Though the Seahawks' Legion of Boom is the better foursome in football terms, it's tough to argue against the fame and name recognition that the 1994 Hurricanes defense had to offer.
We all know that Lewis and Sapp are capable of in terms of their football ability. Their careers at Miami dictated their draft stock, as they were both first-round picks (though they were drafted far too late for the production they would eventually bring, with Lewis at 26th overall and Sapp 12th).
Marley was a great player for Miami as well, leading the team with 95 tackles in the 1993 season. He lauded Lewis' focus on becoming the best linebacker he could be and how "he never stopped training... with his work ethic," (via Christopher Stock at 247Sports).
While Johnson may not have been the same impact player at Miami as the other three, he certainly played an important role in shaping Lewis' greatness. Though he apparently had "his whole vision mapped out" as a wrestler", Lewis said that The Rock encouraged him and told him how great he was going to be (via TMZ Sports). The Rock and Sapp had some friendly competition going on as well, as Sapp eventually supplanted Johnson as the starter, telling him 'I'm here for you job,' (via Vlad TV).
The Hurricanes went 10-2 in 1994, finishing 7-0 in the conference but losing in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska. The defense was the strongest component of the team as they ranked second in the nation, allowing just 11.9 points per game throughout the season. Victims of the defense included Georgia Southern, Arizona State, Rutgers, West Virginia, No. 25 Boston College and even Marvin Harrison's No. 10 Syracuse, all of whom were held to 10 points or less. Harrison, who would go on to become one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, was held to just two catches for 19 yards.
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