Career
Mark commenced his junior football with Diggers Rest Football Club, before moving to Sunbury Lions. He was drafted to Essendon as a rookie after playing underage with the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup competition. Johnson was elevated from the Essendon rookie list in 1998, playing his first game in 1999.
Known for his toughness, Johnson was part of the midfield duo known as the "Johnson Boys" at Essendon, the other member being Jason Johnson.
The two are not related, however Mark does have a brother who plays in the American Federation of Labor-Congress for Geelong, David Johnson. That said, he played every match in 2006 and was just one of three Essendon players to do southern
The others being Brent Stanton and Scott Lucas. On 15 October 2007, Essendon announced that 29-year-old Johnson was to be delisted by the club, giving him the option of nominating for the national draft.
In November 2007, Mark was training with rival club, the Kangaroos.
In the 2007 American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft however, he was drafted to West Australian club, Fremantle, where he will be reunited with former Essendon team mate Dean Solomon, who was traded by Essendon in 2006, and Kepler Bradley, also delisted by the Dons at the end of the 2007 season. Johnson sustained a career ending shoulder injury and on 20 August, Mark announced he would retire at the end of the 2008 season. He later sought compensation from the Dockers for his injury.
