49ers legend Jimmy Johnson dies at 86; Hall of Fame corner spent all 16 NFL seasons in San Francisco

Jimmy Johnson, one of the finest San Francisco 49ers of all time and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1994, has died at the age of 86. Johnson passed away on Wednesday evening, according to a statement released by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Before the 49ers' glory years of the 1980s, Johnson emerged as not just one of San Francisco's greatest players but one of the NFL's best defensive backs.

"Jimmy Johnson was extraordinarily athletically talented," Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in Thursday's statement. "The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs. Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished. The notion that a 'lockdown' cornerback could cut the field in half for the opposition was true with Jimmy. Only rarely would other teams' quarterbacks even look his direction, and more often than not regretted the decision if they challenged him."

In a decorated, 16-season career played entirely with the 49ers, Johnson lined up as a cornerback, wide receiver and safety from 1961 through 1976, collecting five Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro nods and a spot on the Hall of Fame's All-Decade Team of the 1970s. His impact on the Niners is exemplified by his status as one of the charter members of the franchise's own Hall of Fame, which opened in 2009. Also, his No. 37 has been permanently retired by the team since 1977.

Johnson racked up 47 career interceptions in 213 games, with 615 return yards. He also logged 40 receptions for 690 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons as a wide receiver. When Johnson retired following the 1976 campaign, no NFL player had turned in more seasons at defensive back than him. At that time,