Calvin Johnson Trademarks

Calvin Johnson is a former professional football player who spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions. He is a Hall of Famer and a six-time Pro Bowler.

The son of Calvin Johnson Sr. and Arica Johnson, Calvin Johnson Jr. was born in Newnan, Georgia on September 29, 1985. Although his parents always stressed education and would not allow him to play sports if any of his grades fell below a “B,” Johnson was a standout athlete as a child. This was partly due to his size, as he stood a full six feet tall by middle school. He was an outstanding football and baseball player at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia, where he grew to 6-foot 4-inches tall as a sophomore. He was considered a top 20 player and top 10 wide receiver by most football analysts when he came out of high school as a five-star recruit.

Johnson decided to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he went to school for three years. He was initially interested in both football and baseball, but at his mother’s bequest, he only played football as the schedule to play both sports would have been too demanding. He was able to make an impact and recorded playing time as a freshman. He helped to lead his team to the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl where he had two receptions. He earned ACC Rookie of the Year and first-team All-ACC honors. In his sophomore year, Johnson had 54 catches for 888 yards and six scores. He was named first-team All-ACC and an All-American. He was named a team captain during his final year at Georgia Tech and had one of his best collegiate games at the Toyota Gator Bowl against the West Virginia Mountaineers. That year, he won the Biletnikoff Award (for the best college wide receiver) and was named first-team All-ACC and the ACC Player of the Year as well as a unanimous first-team All-American.

During his time at Georgia Tech, Johnson set school records for most career receiving yards, most season receiving yards, most receiving career touchdowns, most receiving touchdowns in a single season, most 100 yard games in a career, and most 100 yard games in a season. He was named to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and in 2018 was selected for the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Although Johnson’s weight was heavily scrutinized at the NFL Combine that year, his drills and 40-yard time were impressive. He was taken with the second pick of the draft by the Detroit Lions. He started his career with the Lions by holding out for eight days in early contract negotiations surrounding his rookie deal. Johnson eventually signed a $64 million deal for six years, which made him the highest-paid player in the franchise’s history at that time. It was during his rookie season, that he received the nickname “Megatron” from one of his teammates, Roy Williams, due to his large hands. He averaged more than 15 yards per catch and had five touchdowns on the year.

In the following season, the team went winless and Johnson was snubbed in the Pro Bowl vote. The Lions would win two games the following year and missed the playoffs for the tenth straight year. Johnson had five touchdowns for the season, even while missing two games due to injury. In 2010, the Lions finally rose from the bottom of their division into the third spot. Johnson caught 12 touchdowns during the season, was named to his first Pro Bowl, and ranked 27th on the NFL Top 100 Players list.

Although they lost the game, 2012 would be the year that the Detroit Lions finally got back into the playoffs and played in the 2012 NFC Wild Card. During the season, Johnson played in all 16 games and had a total of 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns. He ranked 3rd on the NFL Top 100 Players list and was voted to the Pro Bowl. The following year, Johnson had a bit of a slow start but ended the season with 12 touchdowns and 1,492 receiving yards. He ranked 2nd on the NFL Top 100 Players list and was voted to the Pro Bowl, although he was unable to attend due to an injury. During the 2014 season, Johnson had eight touchdowns and 1,044 receiving yards even though he had missed five games. He fell to sixth on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 and was voted to another Pro Bowl. 2015 was his final season and he recorded nine touchdowns and 1,214 yards that year. He received a final Pro Bowl nod but declined to attend.

Johnson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

In 2010, Calvin Johnson Jr. obtained a federal trademark registration for his name “CALVIN JOHNSON” for endorsement services and personal appearances by a football player.