Hard work has paid off for a local football player who has he announced his commitment to Samford University on Thursday, Oct. 6.
Duncan Johnson, a senior offensive and defensive tackle at Aquinas High School, has faced many challenges to get where he is today – one being his battle with cancer.
When he was 3, Johnson was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He had tumors in his stomach, lymph nodes and his pelvis.
Doctors were afraid Johnson wouldn’t make it, but he reached full remission and was cancer free when he turned 9-years-old. This would be around the time he would pick up the game of football and never look back.
“I always loved football; I’ve always wanted to be a college football player, I’ve always been bigger than everybody else even when all the chemo and everything I had,” Johnson said.
His mother, Kaci Johnson, said he always wanted to be a football player. “He has always been a rough and tumble little boy and he has had a football in his hands since he was a little thing,” she said.
Even after he was cancer free, his football journey still was not the easiest and Johnson continues to battle with long term effects from his treatments. Some of the lasting problems include getting overheated easily and having weakened bones.
“He has had lots of long term affects from his treatments that thankfully he has been able to handle and deal with,” said his mother. “His ankles were a big problem when he was a little boy. He has gone through lots of occupational therapy.”
Despite the challenges he has faced, being tough has never been a problem for Johnson, and it hasn’t kept him off the football field.
“He is extremely tough, he has played through injuries every year, not just bumps and bruises, but pretty big injuries. He has been able to suck it up and go,” said Aquinas Football Head Coach James Leonard.
Johnson said being tough is engrained in him because he is lucky to even be here today.
“You have to be tough; you got to work through it. It could always be worse – that’s the motto,” Johnson said. “It has been a lot of hard work and I’ve had really good coaches surrounding me. I’ve had two strength coaches since I have been here at Aquinas, trainer Mike and Coach Crawford, they really made me who I am today.”
His father, Duncan Johnson Sr., said his son has always had a high football IQ and says it was one of his God-given talents.
“His coaches have certainly taught him a lot about football, but he has always just had a gift to be able to watch it and understand it and kind of read it different than I have been able to do,” his father said.
Johnson’s goals in life is to help others. Johnson said he hopes that his challenges inspire others to follow their dreams no matter what they are.
“It really gives me that extra oomph to push harder because you never know when there is some little kid watching sitting in a hospital bed saying ‘wow, if he can do it, why can’t I?'” Johnson said.
After his final year this season, Johnson will continue to live on his dream and play football at Samford.
“For a kid like him that had to beat cancer at a young age and be able to play high school football at a very high level enough to earn scholarship is great, and I think that shows the kids that are down there at children’s hospital that are battling that same thing, it gives them something to fight for,” Leonard said.
Johnson’s parents also expressed their excitement for him to be able to continue his dream as a football player and to go to a good school.
“We have always been proud of him, we’re excited for him to be able to take a goal that he has set for himself and to achieve that,” said Johnson Sr. “It is a moment of joy and excitement for him. Whether he did it or not, we are proud of him for who he is and who he has become, but what he has done is an exciting thing. It is great to see your children achieve their goals.”
Before Johnson heads off to college, he will continue his senior year at Aquinas. The Fightin’ Irish are currently 5-1 and will travel to play Lincoln County Friday, Oct. 14.
Childhood cancer survivor heading to college on football scholarship
October 14, 2022