Berry Will Wear No. 29

Chiefs first-round draft choice Eric Berry has decided he wants to wear No. 29 when he joins the team for the first time next weekend for the team’s Rookie Camp.

And luckily for him, that number is available.

But Berry told the folks back in Knoxville that he would have paid money, big money, to get that number. He wore No. 10 in high school and No. 14 with the Volunteers. Why No. 29?

Berry was born on the 29th day of December. Plus, Highway 29 runs through Fairburn, Georgia – that’s Berry’s hometown.

But there’s a much bigger reason for No. 29; here’s the story, thanks to the Knoxville News Sentinel:

That’s the number that was worn at Tennessee by Inky Johnson, a former defensive back for the Volunteers. In 2006, Johnson suffered a major shoulder injury while playing against Air Force and to this day has little use of his right arm.

But he remains around the football program and has been a friend to Berry.

“Inky has been a mentor to me while I was at Tennessee, not just on the field, but off the field also,” Berry told the News-Sentinel. “There was a lot of times he talked to me about taking pride in the game. You never know when it could be your last snap. I watched a lot of film on Inky. He played the game that way and I felt like if I didn’t play the game that way, it would be disrespecting him.

“He taught me to never be scared of anybody. Always, always go as hard as I can whether it’s in a workout or a classroom because you never know. . . . He was smaller than other people but you never saw him back down from other people.”

Johnson was a graduate assistant for three seasons with the Tennessee program, but he’s now working in the school’s development office.

“I’ll be the first one to go out and buy a jersey,” Johnson said. “I just told him whether he wears 29 or not, I’m always going to be behind him and supporting him. It’s a great honor. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”