Honors & Awards
- Member of Two Nebraska National Championship Teams (1994, 1995)
- University of Nebraska Graduate (December, 1995)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big Eight (Coaches, 1995)
- Native Son Award Winner (1995)
Career
Clester Johnson alternated with Abdul Muhammad at wingback in 1993 and 1994, then was the starter in nine games in 1995. In his four-year career, he caught 34 passes for 556 yards and five touchdowns with a season best of 22-367 in 1995. He came to Nebraska as a highly recruited quarterback.
1995 (Senior)
Johnson took over for departed senior Abdul Muhammad at wingback and started nine games. He had an outstanding year for the No. 1 Huskers, and led NU in receptions and yards with 22-367 on the season, with two touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 35 yards (2-20 against Washington State, and a career-long 15-yard run against Iowa State). Johnson had a career-best four receptions three times, for a career-best 129 yards against Arizona State, including a 28-yard TD and a season-long 61-yard catch; he had four for 31 against Washington State and four for 50 against top ten Kansas. His other touchdown was a 52-yard TD reception (his longest TD grab of the season) against another top ten team--Colorado. Johnson averaged 36.5 all-purpose yards per game and was also a key contributor to Nebraska's 12th rushing title with his stellar perimeter blocking.
1994 (Junior)
Johnson served as the Huskers’ alternate at wingback with starter Abdul Muhammad. He played in every game and started two (West Virginia and UCLA). He caught four passes for 93 yards, two of which went for touchdowns. His first reception and touchdown of the year was a 15-yard snag against Pacific. He followed that with a 2-14 day against Wyoming, then caught a career-long 64-yard touchdown against Kansas which gave the Huskers a 38-10 lead just before halftime. When he first came to Nebraska, he practiced as a quarterback in the fall of 1991 during his redshirt year, switched in the spring of 1992 to cornerback, then switched to his current position (wingback) in the fall of 1992. Although he never played a down at Nebraska as QB, when Tommie Frazier went out with a blood clot, and Brook Berringer's situation was questionable, Johnson practiced approximately 10-15 snaps at quarterback. He attended QB meetings as well as those for the receivers for approximately two weeks (prior to Kansas State and Missouri games) until Berringer's situation improved. In the 1995 Federal Express Orange Bowl against No. 3 Miami, Johnson played but did not record any receptions.
1993 (Sophomore)
Johnson made the traveling squad and with his size, speed, blocking prowess and improved hands, worked his way up the depth chart. He played in all 11 games as Muhammad's backup and caught eight passes (fifth on the team) for 96 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 12.0 yards per reception and 8.7 per game and had one carry for a two-yard gain. He caught two passes in the opener against North Texas for 28 yards; one against Texas Tech for an 18-yard gain; had 2-12 against Colorado State; 2-24 against Missouri with a seven-yard touchdown; and 1-14 against Kansas. He also had one rush for a two-yard gain against Oklahoma State. Prior to the bowl trip, he sprained his ankle in a pickup basketball game the first week of December, but was able to return to action in time for the Federal Express Orange Bowl against Florida State. Johnson caught three passes for 30 yards from Tommie Frazier in the championship game and tipped a 34-yard pass into the hands of teammate Reggie Baul who scored to give NU a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.
1992 (Freshman)
As a redshirt freshman, Johnson played in four regular-season games as a reserve wingback. Although he did not have any receptions, Johnson had one solo tackle.
1991 (Redshirt)
A scholarship recruit, Johnson redshirted his first year at NU.
Bellevue West High School
An all-state quarterback, Johnson threw for 3,757 yards in three years while rushing for 712 yards and scoring 36 touchdowns. He was the Lincoln Journal-Star and Omaha World-Herald Prep Athlete-of-the-Year, a two-time all-stater and the Gatorade Nebraska Player-of-the-Year as a senior and earned SuperPrep Magazine All-America honors. He also played linebacker in high school and was a teammate of NU basketball standout Erick Strickland. Lettered eight times total in football, wrestling and track. He won the Gold Medal at the state track meet in the 300-meter hurdles and finished second in the 110-meter high hurdles as a junior, then reversed those results as a senior by winning the all-class gold in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.41 and finishing second in the 300 hurdles in 38.23 which ranked as the seventh-fastest time in Nebraska prep history. In wrestling, Johnson was the 1991 Class A 189-pound runner-up as a senior.
Personal
On Feb. 18, 1973, Clester was born in Memphis, Tenn. His guardians are Ontee and Ellen Biggs. He has two brothers, Sylvo Johnson and Daryl Morris. Clester majored in sociology and earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in December of 1995. He was an active volunteer with the Omaha Youth Rap Sessions and the Teammates programs.
Johnson's Career Statistics
| Receiving | ||||||
| Year | G/S | No. | Yds. | Avg. | LP | TDs |
| 1991 | Redshirted | |||||
| 1992 | 4/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 11/0 | 8 | 96 | 12.0 | 18 vs. North Texas | 1 |
| 1994 | 12/2 | 4 | 93 | 23.3 | 64 vs. KU | 2 |
| 1995 | 11/9 | 22 | 367 | 16.7 | 61 vs. ASU | 2 |
| Total | 38/11 | 34 | 556 | 16.4 | 64 vs. KU | 5 |
Rushing: 1-2 in 1993, 3-35 in 1995
Tackles: 1 UT, 0 AT, 1 TT in 1992
1994 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State: Receiving, 3-30-0
1995 Orange Bowl vs. Miami: Receptions, None
1996 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida: Receptions, 2-43-0; Tackles, 1 UT