There is life after professional football. At least according to former Seahawks kicker Norm Johnson, who played in two Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl. His football career, which spanned from 1982 to 1999, included a decade in Seattle as well as four years each with the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers and a final season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Life for Johnson after the game centers around his family and his new career with Reid Real Estate in Silverdale. Johnson has been married to his wife Lori for 15 years and has three boys, Jordan, 13; Jarrett, 10; and Jameson, 4.

Naturally, the first questions that come to mind are why real estate? Why Kitsap County? And why Reid? Johnson, a soft-spoken fellow answered all three very directly.

“In spite of what you hear, football is not always like you may think dollar-wise. I knew I had to do something when I left the game, and I had bought and sold property throughout my football career. I’ve always been interested in real estate. I have friends who are very successful in it both here and in Georgia. It just seemed like a natural for me”

As far as what brought him to Kitsap, he replied, “When I was playing, we couldn’t live on both coasts. My wife is from Seattle and we wanted our kids to grow up near family. Rather than live in Seattle or Bellevue, we just fell in love with it here and decided to move to Silverdale instead.”

Why Reid instead of one of the larger regional firms or national franchises? “I like the fact you can pick up the phone and talk to the guy who makes the decisions,” he answered. “Jerry is respected in the community and that’s important to me. I like the fact that we’re a team here. I believe in the team concept. I don’t want to work in a cutthroat atmosphere every day. I’m not a big believer that the grass is greener on the other side. I learned that seeing the player movement in the NFL.”

Johnson has settled in to life in Kitsap County, becoming active in selected community affairs, including the Bremerton Athletic Roundtable. He intends to be more so as time goes on. “But right now, I have a business to build,” he chuckled.

Johnson can be reached at (360) 308-2222 or njohnson@reidrealestate.com.