Following a lengthy illness, legendary Georgia quarterback Andy Johnson has passed away at the age of 65.

A native of Athens, Georgia, Johnson’s acclaimed athletic career began long before he set foot on the UGA campus. As a senior in high school, he was not only an All-American quarterback who guided Athens High to a share of the Class AAA state title in 1969, but was also named All-Region in both baseball and basketball, and was a sprinter on the school’s track team. Johnson was drafted by the Atlanta Braves as a shortstop in 1970 and later by the Baltimore Orioles in 1974.

Considered one of the most gifted athletes ever to attend Georgia, Johnson was a two-sport standout. As a freshman on the Bulldogs’ baseball team, he was named to the All-SEC Eastern Division team. Two years later, Johnson led Georgia in runs scored.

On the gridiron, Johnson perhaps had one of the greatest unheralded freshman campaigns. As quarterback of the Bullpups freshman team (freshmen were ineligible to play varsity ball until 1972), he passed for 681 yards, gained 397 yards rushing, and was responsible for eight touchdowns in 1970—totals amassed in only five games, and while often missing time because of an injury or splitting snaps with a fellow freshman signal-caller.

Quarterbacking the Bulldogs from 1971 through 1973, Johnson guided Georgia to a 23-7-2 record when he started under center. The only Bulldog quarterback to gain 1,500 yards both rushing and passing in a career, Johnson passed for 1,518 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 1,799 yards and 21 touchdowns—each of which is a school rushing record for a Bulldog quarterback.

Johnson is associated with one of the greatest touchdown drives in Georgia football history (65 yards in 11 plays to defeat Georgia Tech in the final seconds, 28-24, in 1971) and one of the program’s greatest plays (his 8-yard touchdown run after he had grabbed a bobbled ball off a bounce with just over a minute remaining to defeat Tennessee, 35-31, in 1973). In addition, Johnson always performed well against rival Auburn, rushing for 163 yards and a touchdown in 1971, throwing for 144 yards on 6-of-9 passing in 1972, and rushing for 87 yards and passing for another 64 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Tigers in 1973.

“Andy was the best athlete I was ever around, in all of my years at Georgia and in the pros,” a former teammate of Johnson’s recently informed me—one who played for Georgia and then in the NFL for nearly the entirety of the 1970s. “He was truly something special.”

A DGD if there ever was one, Johnson was indeed truly something special—and will be sorely missed. Rest In Peace, Andy (1952-2018).