Burudi Ali "Rudi" Johnson (born October 1, 1979) is a former American football running back who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Rudi was born in Petersburg, Virginia approximately 30 miles south of Richmond. His first name "Burudi" is Swahili and means "cool'" and his middle name "Ali" represented his family's respect and admiration for Muhammad Ali. He began playing football at the age of six with the Ettrick Trojans of the Chesterfield Quarterback League. During his high school career, he played both offense and defense for the Thomas Dale Knights under head coach Victor Williams following in the footsteps of Ken Oxendine and William Henderson. During his career, he broke the school's rushing record which was held by his friend, mentor and coach Henry Jefferso