Editor, Gazette-Journal:
It’s that time of year again. Football is right around the corner.
In 1969, a young engineer came to work at NASA Langley. Not too unusual, you say? Well, this young man had been drafted into the army and, rather than going to fight in the jungles of Vietnam, he was assigned to an army office at Langley.
His name was Charley Johnson, and he was the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals. He worked at Langley during the week and apparently was jetted to the site of the game on Friday and presumably practiced on Saturday.
Just a remarkable story that could not be repeated in today’s high-octane game. When he retired, his statistics were comparable to some of the greats of that era. Dr. Johnson became a professor at New Mexico State University and passed away in 2024.
Jim TaylorHayes, Va.
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