TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Calvin Johnson, the receiver better known as “Megatron,” has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. This was announced Saturday during the NFL Honors TV show along with several other members of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
In nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, Johnson made six Pro Bowls. He caught 731 passes and scored 84 touchdowns. He was an All-Pro three times and his 1,964 yards receiving in 2012, for an average of 123 yards a game, still stands as the NFL single-season record.
Much like another Lions Hall of Famer, Barry Sanders, Johnson retired unexpectedly in the prime of his career — at age 30 — leaving fans wondering if he had left too soon.
The Hall of Fame committee didn’t think so, and ultimately, Johnson’s status as a pre-eminent playmaker — he had five games with 200-plus yards receiving — got him into the hall on the first try.
