When Hector Johnson flipped the light switch in his Endicott College dorm, he could smile knowing the lights turned on. When he spun his sink’s faucet, water always came out.
These are things he’ll never take for granted.
“We didn’t grow up with that luxury,” the Liberia native said.
A few months after completing one of the most impressive careers in Endicott’s history, Johnson, who will attend Patriots rookie minicamp as a non-roster invitee on Friday, returned to Hempstead Stadium for spring practice to support his former teammates.
Though in the midst of training for a shot at the NFL, Johnson wasn’t afraid to do the work usually reserved for student managers.
“He was literally helping bring water bottles around to the players while the practice is still going on,” Endicott coach Paul McGonagle said. “He’s helping the trainer hand out water, fill up water bottles and hand them out to the players.”
That work can often be thankless, but it’s not difficult. Johnson knows the difference. He’s done plenty of hard work and overcome a lifetime of challenges to earn his chance on Friday in Foxborough. Johnson’s odds of making the Patriots are long, but not nearly as long as his odds of getting this far.
“I’m excited for him,” McGonagle said. “Hopefully he does well, but he’s deserving to this point, and that’s the way he breaks it down. He said, ‘All I can ask for is a chance.’ And he’s got the chance now.”
‘We’d walk a couple miles’
In the aftermath of the Second Liberian Civil War, Johnson spent the first nine years of his life in war-torn West Africa.
The Patriots hopeful was raised on his grandmother’s farm in Chicken Soup Factory, Liberia, a neighborhood near the capital of Monrovia. There are multiple origin stories for the community’s name, but there is undeniably no functioning soup factory there.
Johnson’s grandmother’s farm doubled as an orphanage.
She took in many children who’d lost their parents in the war. At times, the number of orphans swelled to as many as 150 children, and across Liberia, there were 340,000 children orphaned, largely by the horrific conflict.
When Johnson was 1, his mother left the country that had been ravaged by war for America. She’d lived through the days when teenage boys were forced to be soldiers and wanted to find safety and opportunities for him and his three sisters, joining Johnson’s grandfather who’d already made it stateside. She left her son with his father and grandmother, with plans to have her children join her when she was settled.
“It was obviously a big sacrifice for her, but she knew she needed to do that to provide for us,” Johnson said. “Everything she did, she sent back home to make sure we were O.K.”
Tragedy struck when Johnson was 7. His father passed away unexpectedly. After his death, Johnson was always at his grandmother’s farm. He credited her for instilling a strong work ethic that has propelled him to the doorstep of the NFL.
“She didn’t force anyone to work, but in order for you to eat, you had to go and put the time in,” Johnson said. “So that just taught us from a pup. It gave us that mentality, you’ve always gotta put the work in before you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
“Other than that, (Liberia) just taught me to appreciate the little things, because obviously I’m very, very fortunate in the position that I’m in right now. I can go in my room and flick my light on, open the faucet and water will come on.”
There was no running water on the impoverished farm. The neighborhood had a well, and that was sufficient in the rainy season, but things were complicated when everything dried up in the summertime.
“It was a hustle. We made the best out of it. We’d walk a couple miles, get water,” Johnson said. “On the way back with our jugs were some of the best memories.”
By the time he was 9, Johnson’s mother was able to bring him to America. A soccer player as a boy in Liberia, he soon developed a fascination with American football.
‘One of the most loyal players’
It wasn’t until late middle school that Johnson’s mother finally allowed him to play the bruising sport. He starred as a linebacker at Quabbin Regional High School, but wasn’t a sought-after recruit. Johnson was maybe six feet tall as a senior and didn’t attract any Division I attention.
Undeterred, Johnson loved the game, dreamed of playing in the NFL, and landed at Division III Endicott.
“At the higher levels (recruiters) just kinda missed on him, maybe because they’re afraid he wasn’t 6-4,” McGonagle said. “But you can’t measure his brain and his mind and his heart.”
Fortunately for McGonagle, those traits were all on display at Endicott.
Across his four years playing for the Gulls, Johnson put up some impressive stats as a defensive end: 24.5 sacks, 175 tackles, 44 tackles for a loss. As Johnson put more dominant tape out there, opposing offenses started to game plan accordingly. It didn’t bother him to become the focal point of their attention.
“We had a game where he was getting triple-teamed,” McGonagle said. “He goes, ‘If you triple-team me, that’s fine because my other teammates are making plays.’ He’s a very unselfish football player.”
Eventually, other programs came calling, hoping he might transfer, but Johnson decided he wanted to stay at Endicott. As a senior, he helped the Gulls to their first NCAA playoff win in dominant fashion, beating Alfred State 44-0 without allowing a third-down conversion (0-for-13).
“One of the most loyal players I’ve been around,” McGonagle said. “He’s on the President’s Council. He can text (Endicott President Steven DiSalvo) whenever he wants to. He’s an outgoing person. But especially nowadays, it’s a testament to him for wanting to stay because it worked out well for him.”
‘I’m doing this for them’
After finishing at Endicott, Johnson caught the eye of professional evaluators. He was invited to Holy Cross’ Pro Day, and then New England’s scouts wanted another look, and invited him to their own local Pro Day.
The Patriots liked what they saw enough to invite him to Friday’s rookie minicamp, where he’ll take the field alongside draft picks like LSU’s Will Campbell and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson.
Given his size, scouts believe Johnson is likely to transition to linebacker if he sticks at the professional level. It’d be a major shift after spending his collegiate career on the defensive line, but Johnson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.
Given the 4,000 miles he’s traversed from Chicken Soup Factory, Liberia to Gillette Stadium, this is not an chance Johnson is going to take lightly.
“I’m very, very blessed,” Johnson said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity. From where I come from, an opportunity like this, it means everything. Sometimes I just get quiet, trying to just soak it all in and just really appreciate the moment as much as I can.
“But at the same time, I’m here to really try to capitalize on this opportunity and set my family up and put them in the best position. Because I feel like I’m doing this for them. They sacrificed so much for me to help me get to where I am, so it’s only right to do everything I that can.”
