Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson will be inducted into the Pride of the Lions ring of honor at halftime during Monday night’s Detroit Lions game against the Seahawks at Ford Field.
Coach Dan Campbell, who was Johnson’s teammate for two seasons, has a behind-the-scenes perspective.
“I’ve said this I don’t know how many times, but I’ll continue to say, I think what’s unique about Calvin — I was fortunate to play with him, it wasn’t very long and he was a pup — when you have the ability that guy has, the things God gave him, and then he gives everything he’s got, he worked at his craft, he was an unselfish player, he was a great teammate,’’ Campbell said on Saturday.
“It’s no wonder he’s a Hall of Famer. Those guys, they’re kind of rare, very rare. I just think he was the total package as a player, as a teammate, as a person and it speaks volumes for the team, the organization to have him back in the fold, to be able to honor him because he deserves that, he’s earned that,’’ Campbell added. “He’s a helluva dude.”
Johnson, who played for nine seasons, holds numerous Lions pass receiving records including: career receptions – 731, receiving yards – 11,619, receiving touchdowns – 83, most receiving yards in a single game in regulation – 329. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and voted to the first team All-Pro three times.
He set the NFL record for most receiving yards in a season (1,964) on Dec. 22, 2012, while playing with broken fingers. In that loss to the Falcons, Johnson finished with 225 yards on 11 catches.
In the book, “Game of My Life Lions” (written by me), Johnson said that was definitely his most memorable game. He needed 182 yards to break Jerry Rice’s record, but there wasn’t a ton of pressure because one game remained.
His first catch that day was a 49-yard bomb from Matthew Stafford.
“Coming off the first reception, right off the bat early in the game, I went to the sideline, don’t know who I was talking to, my coach, he might have said we don’t (have to) worry today,’’ Johnson said in the book.
After the record-breaking catch, he found his father on the sidelines and presented him with the football.
Nicknamed ‘Megatron’ he also holds a number of NFL receiving records including most receiving yards in a single season – 1,964 yards (2012), fastest to 11,000 receiving yards (127 games), most consecutive games with at least 10 receptions (4), most 100-yard receiving games in a single season (11, tied with Michael Irvin), most seasons with 1,600 yards receiving – 2 (tied with 3 others).
Johnson retired in 2016 and has been frequently seen at Ford Field games for the past few seasons.. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
It’s fitting that Johson’s honor comes on Lions homecoming weekend. He’s expected to have 92 former Lions join him on the field for his induction at half-time. They include old-timers like Greg Landry and Eddie Murray; long-timers like Jason Hanson and Robert Porcher; and some of Johnson’s teammates like Golden Tate, Stephen Tulloch and Glover Quin.
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