Calvin Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Calvin Johnson

Johnson in 2024
No. 81
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1985-09-29) September 29, 1985 (age 39) Tyrone, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:	Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Georgia)
College:	Georgia Tech (2004–2006)
NFL Draft:	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Detroit Lions (2007)
Career highlights and awards
3× First-team All-Pro (2011–2013) Second-team All-Pro (2010) 6× Pro Bowl (2010–2015) 2× NFL receiving yards leader (2011, 2012) NFL receptions leader (2012) NFL receiving touchdowns co-leader (2008) NFL 2010s All-Decade Team PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007) Detroit Lions All-Time Team Pride of the Lions Fred Biletnikoff Award (2006) Paul Warfield Trophy (2006) Unanimous All-American (2006) First-team All-American (2005) ACC Player of the Year (2006) ACC Rookie of the Year (2004) 3× First-team All-ACC (2004–2006) NFL records Most receiving yards in a season: 1,964 Most consecutive 100-yard receiving games: 8
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 731 Receiving yards: 11,619 Receiving touchdowns: 83
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Calvin Johnson Jr. (born September 29, 1985) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. People called him "Megatron" because he was so big and strong, like the Transformers character. Many consider him one of the best wide receivers ever to play the game.

Calvin Johnson played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award in his junior year. The Lions picked him second overall in the 2007 NFL draft. Johnson was known for being a rare combination of size, amazing catching skills, speed, strength, and leaping ability. In 2012, he set a new NFL record for the most receiving yards in a single season. He also holds records for consecutive games with 100 or more receiving yards. Johnson was chosen for six Pro Bowls in a row from 2010 to 2015. He was also named a first-team All-Pro three times from 2011 to 2013.

Even though he was still playing at a high level, Johnson decided to retire after the 2015 season. He said he had lost his passion for the game due to health concerns. He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2021, he joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Early Life and High School Football

Calvin Johnson Jr. was born on September 29, 1985, in Tyrone, Georgia. His parents, Calvin Sr. and Arica Johnson, made sure he focused on school. They wouldn't let him play sports if he didn't get good grades. This helped him learn the importance of education early on.

Johnson was very tall from a young age. He was 6 feet tall in middle school and 6 feet 4 inches by his sophomore year of high school. He went to Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia. There, he was a star in both football and baseball. In football, he played wide receiver for three years. As a sophomore, he caught 34 passes for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns. His junior year, he had 40 catches for 736 yards and eight touchdowns. His high school even retired his jersey number, 81, in 2010.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Calvin Johnson WR	Tyrone, Georgia	Sandy Creek HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	4.27	Jan 12, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 3 (WR); 34 (school)   Rivals: 6 (WR); 37 (national); 3 (GA); 50 (school)
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College Career at Georgia Tech

Calvin Johnson catching a pass for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Calvin Johnson went to the Georgia Institute of Technology. He played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 2004 to 2006. His mother didn't want him to play both football and baseball in college. She felt the year-round sports schedule would be too much.

As a freshman in 2004, Johnson quickly became a key player. In his first college game, he caught two passes for 45 yards. Later, against Clemson, he had eight catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns. He led the Yellow Jackets with 48 catches for 837 yards and seven touchdowns. These were new records for a Georgia Tech freshman. He was named the ACC Rookie of the Year.

In 2005, Johnson continued to impress. He had 54 catches for 888 yards and six touchdowns. He earned All-American honors for his great play. He was also a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the best college football receiver.

Johnson was named a team captain for his junior season in 2006. He won the Biletnikoff Award that year. In a game against West Virginia, he set a school record with 186 receiving yards. He also became Georgia Tech's all-time leader in career receiving yards. Johnson was named the ACC Player of the Year. He was also recognized as a unanimous All-American. He finished the season with 76 catches for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 15 touchdowns were a new single-season record for Georgia Tech.

By the end of his college career, Johnson had 178 catches for 2,927 yards and 28 touchdowns. He holds many school records, including most career receiving yards and touchdown catches.

College Statistics

School Records and Awards

Calvin Johnson set many records at Georgia Tech:

• Most receiving yards in a career: 2,927
• Most receiving yards in a single season: 1,202 (2006)
• Most receiving touchdowns in a career: 28
• Most receiving touchdowns in a single season: 15 (2006)
• Most 100-yard receiving games in a career: 13

He also received many awards:

Calvin Johnson's Fred Biletnikoff Award

• First-team Freshman All-American (2004)
• All-American (2005 and 2006)
• First-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (2004, 2005, and 2006)
• ACC Rookie of the Year (2004)
• ACC Player of the Year (2006)
• Biletnikoff Award (2006)
• Paul Warfield Trophy (2006)
• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Academic Work

In the summer of 2006, Johnson, who studied management, chose to work on a project building "solar latrines" in Bolivia. These latrines use the sun's rays to turn waste into fertilizer safely. He chose this project because he wanted to help people in need.

Professional Career with the Detroit Lions

Calvin Johnson in his Detroit Lions training uniform

After his junior year, Calvin Johnson decided to enter the 2007 NFL draft. Many experts believed he was the best player available. At the NFL Combine, he showed off his amazing athleticism. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds and had an incredible 11-foot, 7-inch broad jump.

The Detroit Lions selected Johnson as the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. This was the highest a Georgia Tech player had ever been drafted. On August 3, 2007, Johnson signed a six-year contract with the Lions.

First Seasons (2007–2009)

Johnson had a strong NFL debut on September 9, 2007. He caught four passes for 70 yards and his first touchdown. His teammate, Roy Williams, gave him the nickname "Megatron" because of his large hands and powerful play. Johnson finished his rookie season with 48 catches for 756 yards and five touchdowns. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.

In 2008, Johnson became the Lions' main wide receiver after Roy Williams was traded. Despite the team having a difficult season, Johnson had a great year. He finished with 78 catches for 1,331 yards and led the league with 12 receiving touchdowns. This was a huge achievement, especially since the Lions had a winless 0–16 record that year.

The Lions made many changes to their team in 2009. They drafted quarterback Matthew Stafford, who would become Johnson's main passer. Johnson finished the 2009 season with 67 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns.

Becoming a Star (2010–2012)

In 2010, Johnson continued to be a top receiver. He caught 77 passes for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was selected for his first Pro Bowl. He was also ranked 27th among all NFL players by his peers.

Calvin Johnson on January 1, 2012, playing against the Green Bay Packers

The 2011 season was one of Johnson's best. He had a career-high 1,681 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. In one game, he helped the Lions come back from a 24-point deficit to win. He caught two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. In another game, he had 214 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Lions made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. In their playoff game, Johnson caught 12 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, setting a new Lions playoff record. He finished the season leading the league in receiving yards.

On March 14, 2012, Johnson signed a big eight-year contract extension with the Lions. He was named the cover athlete for the Madden NFL 13 video game. In 2012, Johnson broke Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards in a single season, finishing with an amazing 1,964 yards. He also led the league in receptions with 122. He became the only player in the Super Bowl era to average over 120 receiving yards per game in a season. He was named a starter for the Pro Bowl.

Later Seasons and Retirement (2013–2015)

In 2013, Johnson had another incredible season. On October 27, he caught 14 passes for a career-high 329 receiving yards against the Dallas Cowboys. This was the second-highest single-game receiving yardage in NFL history. He also broke the Lions' franchise record for career touchdown catches. He finished the season with 84 catches for 1,492 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was selected for the Pro Bowl again.

Johnson continued to play well in 2014, despite dealing with an ankle injury. He became the fastest player to reach 10,000 receiving yards in NFL history. He finished the season with 71 catches for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl.

In his final season, 2015, Johnson had 88 catches for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns. He reached 1,000 receiving yards for the sixth year in a row. He was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl. His 1,214 yards in 2015 are the most ever for a player in their final NFL season.

On March 8, 2016, Calvin Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons. At the time of his retirement, no other player had more receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, or 100-yard games than Johnson since he was drafted in 2007. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, in his very first year of eligibility.

After retiring, Johnson had some disagreements with the Lions organization. He felt they had not treated him fairly regarding his contract. However, in 2023, he began to attend Lions team practices and games again, showing his support for the team.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season

Postseason

NFL Records and Honors

Calvin Johnson holds several impressive NFL records:

• Most receiving yards in a single season: 1,964 yards (2012)
• Most consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards: 8 (tied record)
• Most consecutive games with at least 10 receptions: 4
• Most 100-yard receiving games in a single season: 11 (tied record)
• Most receiving yards in a single game in regulation: 329 yards (October 27, 2013)
• Most games with at least 200 receiving yards: 5 (tied record)

He also received many honors:

• 6x Pro Bowler (2010–2015)
• 3x First-team All-Pro (2011–2013)
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
• 2007 NFL All-Rookie Team

Lions Franchise Records

Johnson holds many records for the Detroit Lions:

• Most receiving touchdowns in a single season: 16 (2011)
• Most career receiving touchdowns: 83
• Most career receiving yards: 11,619
• Most receptions in a single game: 14 (tied record)
• Most receiving yards in a single game: 329
• Most career receptions: 731
• Most seasons with 10+ receiving touchdowns: 4
• Most games with at least 100 receiving yards: 46
• Most games with at least 200 receiving yards: 5

Dancing with the Stars

In 2016, Calvin Johnson joined season 23 of the TV show Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold. They danced very well together and finished in third place in the competition.

Personal Life

Calvin Johnson started The Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation, Inc. in 2008. This foundation helps young people who are at risk. It focuses on education, training, and social development. The foundation also hosts an annual camp called Catching Dreams for high school wide receivers.

Johnson married Brittney McNorton in June 2016. They live in Detroit. He also has a son named C.J.

Calvin Johnson is a Christian. He has tattoos related to his faith on his arms. He also used to be part of a weekly Bible study group with other Lions players.

See also

In Spanish: Calvin Johnson para niños

• List of Detroit Lions first-round draft picks
• List of National Football League annual receiving yards leaders
• List of National Football League annual receiving touchdowns leaders
• List of National Football League annual receptions leaders
• List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
• National Football League 2010s All-Decade Team