Getty Calvin Johnson gets his Hall of Fame jacket in Canton, Ohio in 2021.
Calvin Johnson made his mark with the Detroit Lions in more ways than one, and anyone looking for proof of that simply need listen to his former teammates talk about the man under the uniform.
Johnson went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the weekend, and it’s true that a player can make it to that level without being a good person. Johnson, however, clearly did not cut any corners in his own life as it relates to his work on the field or off.
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As humble as he was great, Johnson often impressed folks with small gestures to show them they mattered. Such was the case for former NFL defender Austen Lane. Lane was far from a household name when he signed with the Lions in 2013, but when he made his way into the team’s locker room, he would have never known it based on the reception he received from the man affectionately dubbed “Megatron.”
As Johnson was being inducted in Canton, Ohio, Lane hopped on Twitter and shared a powerful story which proves how kind Johnson was to everyone, even a player that few people would have known at the time. As Lane explained, Johnson went out of his way to introduce himself and even offered to help the player out.
2/6 Feeling like a kid on the first day of school I was eager and nervous to meet my new teammates. I noticed that two lockers down from mine was Calvin Johnson’s.
As players came in, I sunk into my locker as not to make a scene and draw attention since I was the “new guy”
4/6 I was amazed that a guy of his prestige and caliber would even take the time to chat with a “depth guy” like me. But he always made sure I was good and made it a habit to make sure I was adjusting to my new team.
6/6 I was literally the tiniest blip in his life but the way he went out of his way to make me feel like an equal will always be one of the biggest moments of mine. Thanks Calvin and congratulations!
Stories like this are precisely what sets Johnson apart. While others may have made fun of the new player or ignored him altogether, Johnson made it a point to welcome him into the mix and offer his help in any way he could. That’s the kind of humility which not only builds a strong locker room culture, but helps to foster a Hall of Fame career
Golden Tate Sends Congratulatory Message to Calvin Johnson
It’s clear that everyone from the star players to the smaller-name players on the roster were touched in some way by Johnson during his time with the team. Take Tate, who was a running mate with Johnson in the team’s wideout group during their prime years together. Johnson and Tate apparently became very close based on what the wideout tweeted when the Hall of Fame induction was going on.
Tate and Johnson were dynamic together in Detroit, so seeing this tweet likely brought back great memories for Lions fans who remember how great the duo was. To hear that they are just as close off the field is also special for fans, and shows how the bonds of shared experiences in Detroit hold folks tightly.
Johnson’s Former Teammates, Coaches Showed up for Enshrinement
It wasn’t just Tate or Lane tweeting about Johnson, though. Multiple other players showed up to cheer their former teammate’s induction in real-time. During the event, Johnson called out his former teammates and coaches that arrived and asked them to stand. Images were captured which prove just how popular Johnson was with the players he battled on the field with every single week.
WXYZ’s Brad Galli unearthed an Instagram photo which showed a picture of a chunk of the players and coaches who came out for Johnson.
Rob Sims, Stephen Tulloch, Jim Caldwell, Matthew Stafford, and Dominic Raiola are in Canton together for Calvin Johnson’s Hall of Fame induction
Photo: 1stladysims on Instagram
From stars like Matthew Stafford and Tate down to players like Lane who weren’t mainstays on the roster, Johnson was larger than life. That’s part of the reason he will now forever call Canton, Ohio home.
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