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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Kevin Johnson, a lineman who played 38 games in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders, was found dead Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 55.
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Authorities discovered the body of Johnson at a homeless encampment in the unincorporated Willowbrook area near South Los Angeles. He was determined to have died as a result of blunt-force stab wounds by the Los Angeles County Coroner, and his death is being investigated as a homicide.
"Unfortunately it appears he was homeless," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Steve De Jong confirmed to Newsweek Sports. "It looks like he was probably living there."
Johnson played 38 NFL games for the Philadelphia Eagles (1995-96) and Oakland Raiders (1997) before moving on to the Arena Football League to end his professional career.
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Johnson prepped at Westchester High School, where he helped the Comets win the Los Angeles City championship in 1987, and returned to the title game the following year.
Johnson played two years collegiately at Los Angeles Harbor College, then transferred to Texas Southern prior to the 1991 season.
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The New England Patriots took Johnson with their fourth-round pick (86th overall) in the 1993 draft. Johnson never played a down for the Patriots, however, and signed with the Raiders in June 1995. He was claimed off waivers by the Eagles two months later, and would spend his first two seasons in Philadelphia.
Inactive for the first four weeks of the 1995 season, Johnson recorded two sacks in only his third game against the New York Giants. In his next game against the St. Louis Rams, Johnson recovered a fumble and ran it 37 yards for a touchdown in an Eagles win.
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That proved to be the only touchdown of Johnson's career. He finished his rookie year with six sacks in 11 games, starting one.
In 1996, Johnson started five of 12 games, recording 24 tackles and one sack.
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Johnson was released by the Eagles in December 1996 and signed with the Raiders in April 1997. He played 15 games in his only season in Oakland, recording 11 tackles.
Johnson spent the 1998 and 1999 seasons with the Orlando Predators of the AFL, playing 17 games. In his final season of professional football, Johnson played four games for the AFL's Los Angeles Avengers in 2001.
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