Charles Johnson -- a former NFL first-round draft pick and Super Bowl champion -- has died at 50 years old.
The North Carolina high school he had been working at as an assistant athletic director confirmed the sad news on Tuesday ... writing in a tweet, "RIP Coach. You will be missed by so many, especially your Husky Family."
No cause of death has been revealed.
Johnson was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers at #17 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft -- just a few picks after the Colts took Marshall Faulk -- and he went on to have a solid pro career.