Calvin Johnson has been one of the greatest players in Detroit Lions history almost from the moment he took the field as the team’s first-round pick back in 2007. Already a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson will now be formally honored by the Lions with induction into the Pride of the Lions.
Johnson, the Lions’ all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, will join the elite group during a ceremony at halftime of the Monday Night Football matchup in Ford Field on September 30th against the Seattle Seahawks.
The team began the Pride of the Lions program in 2009 to honor the franchise’s greatest players. Johnson will be the 20th addition to the Pride. Lomas Brown was the last addition, coming in 2023.
“We are thrilled to add Calvin Johnson Jr. to the Pride of the Lions,” said Detroit Lions President and CEO, Rod Wood in a statement. “His commitment on the field and to the city of Detroit are legendary and this is a well-deserved honor. We are proud that he will be forever memorialized inside Ford Field and as a Detroit Lion.”
Congrats to Johnson, arguably the greatest Lions player of the Super Bowl era. It also shows the issues between Johnson and the team are thankfully now a thing of the past.