Calvin Johnson Bio: Draft, College & Net Worth

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The National Football League (NFL) has given life to exceptionally skilled athletes since its origin. Among such footballers, Calvin Johnson, AKA Megatron, is one of the most prominent footballers in NFL history. He was the wide receiver for the Detroit Lions for nearly one decade.

Well, if we start praising the Megatron’s contribution to the NFL, then we can never be able to do so. It is so because he has made such a remarkable record in American football.

Also, are you aware that Calvin ranks #3 as the biggest wide receiver in the world to date after his fellow teammate Jerry Rice and Steve Largent?

Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson

Moreover, Calvin has a record of making 1,964 receiving yards in a single NFL season. Plus, he is the receiver of 2006’s Biletnikoff Award.

The retired player has several other honors, which we will discuss in this article, so don’t worry.

Next, Megatron got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Alright, alright, let’s go to the article without wasting further time.

Calvin Johnson: Quick Facts

Full Name Calvin Johnson Jr. 
Nick Name Megatron
Date Of Birth 29th September 1985
Birth Place Newnan, Georgia
Age 39 years old
Sexual Orientation Straight
Height 6’5″ (196cm)
Weight 72 kg (158 lbs)
Horoscope Libra
Religion Christianity
Ethnicity African-American
Nationality American
High School Sandy Creek High School
University Georgia Institute Of Technology
Hair Colour Black
Eye Colour Brown
Skin Colour Dark
Tattoos Yes
Marital Status Married
Wife Brittney McNorton
Kids One
Father’s Name Calvin Johnson Sr
Mother’s Name Arica Johnson
Siblings Two brothers- Wali Johnson and Elan Johnson
One sister-Erica Johnson
Profession Former Football Player
Active Date 2007-2015
Playing Position Wide-receiver
Team Detroit Lions
Awards And Recognition ·Two times  First-team All-American (2005, 2006)
·Three times First-team All-ACC (2004–2006)
·ACC Rookie of the Year (2004)
·Biletnikoff Award (2006)
·ACC Player of the Year (2006)
·NFL receiving touchdowns co-leader (2008)
·NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
·Second-team All-Pro (2010)
·Two times NFL Receiving Yards Leader (2011 and 2012)
·NFL Receptions Leader (2012)
·Three times First-team All-Pro (2011–2013)
·Six times Pro Bowl (2010–2015)
·College Football Hall of Fame (2018)
·Pro Football Hall Of Fame (2021)
Net Worth $45 Million
Salary $22 Million
Social Media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Merch  Calvin Johnson(Book)
Last Update November, 2024

Calvin Johnson | Age and Early Childhood

The former wide receiver was born on 29th September 1985 in Newnan, Georgia. As of publishing the article, he is 39 years old.

Being held at the end of September, Johnson’s birth sign is Libra. Similarly, Calvin was brought up in his birth land. And his birth name is Calvin Johnson Jr.

Who are Calvin Johnson Parents? Family and Siblings

Johnson was born to his father, Calvin Johnson Sr, and a mother, Arica Johnson. His birth father served at the Southern Pacific Railroad. In comparison, Arica worked at the Atlanta School system as an administrator.

Until Calvin was two, his parents didn’t change their residential place. However, when the retired footballer reached three years old, he moved to Tyrone, about 20 miles on I-85, compared to his birthplace, Newnan, Georgia.

So, Megatron spent half of his childhood in Tyrone with his birth-giver.

Calvin Johnson congratultes his brother, Wali Johnson on the latter's wedding in 6th June 2020.
Calvin Johnson congratulates his brother, Wali Johnson, on the latter’s wedding on 6th June 2020. (Photo: Calvin Johnson’s Instagram)

Further, Calvin is not only a child of his father and a mother. He has three siblings named Erica Johnson, Wali Johnson, and Elan Johnson.

Besides this, not much is known about Megatron’s brothers and sisters.

Calvin Johnson Body Measurements: Height And Weight

Every player needs a stunning and pillaring height for their best performance. Well, our admirable former wide receiver meets up the criteria as he has an erecting height.

Calvin’s measuring height is about 6 feet and 5 inches (196cm).

Also, do you know that Johnson was already the tallest boy in his high school? As per the report, Calvin stood at 6 feet while he was just 12 years old.

Later, in his sophomore year at the Sandy Creek High School, he was 6 feet and 3 inches. So, we can be jealous of his height as we have no option. Also, being tall enough is what every athlete dream about, isn’t it?

Similarly, Calvin possesses a muscular body structure. His listed weight is about 72 kilograms. 

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Calvin Johnson Distinctive Features | Eyes, Hair, and Skin

Not only Calvin’s playing skills differentiated him from any other fellow players. His physical appearances also make him stand out to date.

Megatron has dark skin, which attracted many people inside the court as he looked very intimidating while scoring for his team.

Wait, it doesn’t mean that his well-wishers and basketball fans don’t fall for him now and outside the court.

Johnson still makes his die-hard fan’s heart flutter as he has a different aura, and how can we not include his legacy, though?

Similarly, Calvin has brown eyes, which always sparkle, and is full of dreams. And his hair’s color is black.

Also, Johnson’s buzzcut hairstyle was always the most liked until he retired from the NFL; many youths still follow the style.

What is Calvin Johnson’s aka ethnicity and nationality?

Talking about Calvin’s ethnicity, he belongs to the African-American or Black ethnic groups. Likewise, Johnson possesses American nationality.

Is Calvin Johnson Married?

Calvin is happily married to his wife, Brittney McNorton, since 2016. Before getting hitched, the husband and wife were in a relationship for many years.

After being romantically involved for a long time, Megatron got on a knee and proposed to his now-wife, Brittney, in March 2015 in Baltimore.

A year later, the two exchanged their wedding vows in June 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. Many prominent personalities like Golden Tate, Matthew Stafford, and more attended their lavish ceremony.

Calvin and his better half, Brittney, have not given birth to any kids as of now. But, they might plan on bringing new life to the world very soon.

Previous Relationship

Many years back, Johnson was in a relationship with Shallyn Blanton. However, there is no exact information about their first dating and the reason behind their separation. 

Most probably, Calvin and Shallyn moved different paths in the beginning or middle of 2013. 

Also, the former pair have a son together, to whom Blanton gave birth at the end of 2013.

How Rich Is Calvin Johnson?

The former wide receiver collected an excellent sum during his entire career. He played with the NFL’s Detroit Lions for almost nine years, which is evident enough to make a hefty amount.

As per the Celebrity Net Worth, Calvin Johnson acquires a net worth of $45 million.

Also, Celebrity Net Worth reported that Calvin used to earn about $22 million as a base salary.

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Plus, Megatron pocketed millions of dollars by signing a contract with the Detroit Lions two times.

Initially, Calvin earned $55.5 million for his six-year deal with the Lions in 2007, including a $14 million signing bonus, $9.2 million average salaries, and $55.5 million total guaranteed. The contract was valid till 2012.

Moreover, Calvin extended the contract for seven years from 2012 to 2019 with Detroit for $113 million, including a total guarantee of $53.2 million, a signing guarantee of $31.8 million, a signing bonus of $16 million, and an average salary of $16.2 million.

Highlight On Calvin Johnson Education

High School Career

To pursue education, Calvin went to Sandy Creek High School located at Tyrone, Georgia. Johnson was so good in sports that he played football and was a baseball standout in high school.

Looking back, Calvin was an initiator as a wide receiver for three years for his school football team, Patriots Football Team. 

Do you know that Calvin was already a lovable player in his high school? After passing out of his higher institution, Atlanta Journal-Constitution named him the Super Southern 100.

Also, Johnson was the top ten wide receivers in his nation.

College Journey – Georgia Institute Of Technology

If we look at Calvin’s playing history in deep then, we become convinced that he was one of the rare talents in football. So, it is evident that many colleges approached him after the completion of high school.

For instance, Notre Dame, Georgia, and Miami were on the endless lists, looking at the football legend.

Eventually, Megatron chose the Georgia Institute Of Technology for his higher educational experience.

Along with his studies, he continued honing his football skills. The former wide receiver played for the college from  2004 to 2006.

Megatron contributed to Georgia by scoring 178 receptions for 2,927 yards and 28 touchdowns throughout his three years of playing tenure.

On top of that, Calvis received a degree in Management, specifically in Building Construction. Also, he builds a solar latrine as an academic project to help the underprivileged in Bolivia.

Here, the solar toilets mean the process of converting the bacteria-laden into fertilizers by using the sun’s rays. Wow, Johnson is the top in every field, don’t you think so?

Calvin Johnson Professional Career | Beginning To Retirement

After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Calvin officially joined the Detroit Lions on 8th January 2007. The Lions drafted him in the 2007 NFL draft in the first round. 

Megatron spent his nine years with Detroit. During the period, he averaged 11,619 yards for 83 touchdowns and 731 receptions from 2007 to 2015.

However, Calvin left his fans in tears when he announced retirement from the NFL on 8th March 2016 after his age 30 seasons. He was at his peak level but decided to quit for good due to his health problems.

But, his nine seasons in NFL history are written in the golden letter; thus, football fans can never forget his legacy.

Calvin Johnson AKA Megatron Honours And Awards | NFL To Hall Of Fame

Likewise, Calvin received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career for being the exceptionally best footballer. To be precise, Johnson lifted the Pro Bowl six times from 2010 to 2015.

He also became the NFL Receptions Leader in 2012, Two times NFL Receiving Yards Leader in 2011 and 2012, and NFL receiving touchdowns co-leader in 2008.

In addition, Megatron was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. The biggest wide receiver was inducted to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame on 6th February 2021.

During the induction in the 2021 Hall of Fame, he got the door knock from none other than the president of football HOF, David Baker. 

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Social Media Presence

In today’s era, technology has been a medium for being in touch. So although Calvin’s fans cannot see him in the football stadium anymore, they can keep up with his Instagram handle, @megatron.

As of 23rd May 2021, he maintains 392k followers on his Instagram. And he has shared 204 posts in total as of writing the article.

In the same way, Megatron is active on Twitter under @calvinjohnsonjr. He joined Twitter in 2015, and now he has about 80.9k followers.

Plus, Calvin uses Facebook, which has a name,@Megatron having 277k followers.

Unknown Facts About Calvin Johnson:

  • In 2016, Calvin participated a dancing reality show called Dancing With The Stars. He secured the third position along with his dancing partner, Lindsay Arnold.
  • While Megatron was at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he was asked to play football and baseball. But, his mother, Arica, denied the request and suggested he pick up only one sport.
  • Similarly, Calvin would have earned about $200 million only if he had not retired early.
  • After announcing his retirement, Johnson was asked to pay back $1 million from his $16 million signing bonus by the Detroit Lions.
  • In August 2021, the Detroit Lions sent Johnson a proposal to pay back the $1.6 million. It would pay him $500,000 a year for three years in exchange for Johnson doing 28 hours a year of work for the team. Additionally, it would also make a one-time donation of $100,000 to Johnson’s foundation. However, Johnson refused the deal. 

If you are in search of Calvin Johnson’s black jersey from Nike, follow the link!

Most Asked Question:

How did Calvin Johnson get his nickname?

Most people know Calvin Johnson by his nickname, Megatron. It is a name possessed by one of a character in a Transformer.

As Johnson has big hands and impressive size, his fellow teammate, Roy Williams, gave him a nickname.

What is Calvin Johnson’s career statistic like?

At present, Calvin Johnson maintains a career statistic of 11,619 receiving yards, 731 receptions, 15.9 yards per reception, and 83 receiving touchdowns. 

What is Calvin Johnson’s autograph worth? What is his jersey number?

On average, an autographed item from Calvin Johnson is worth $64.39. He featured in jersey number 81 for the Detroit Lions. 

If you are interested in buying his autographed items like helmets, jerseys, balls, click the link to follow!

Soni Pahadi
Soni Pahadi

Soni Pahadi

Soni Pahadi is a dedicated writer with a passion for uncovering the untold stories within the sports world. Her articles offer readers a captivating blend of insightful analysis, human interest narratives, and cultural commentary that enriches their understanding of the athletes and events that shape the sporting landscape.

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Youth Sports Diversity Stories

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  • Soni delves into the cultural significance of sports, exploring how athletic events intersect with identity, tradition, and societal values.
  • She advocates for youth participation in sports, highlighting the benefits of athletic activities for physical health.

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With a background in writing and a deep-seated passion for sports, Soni approaches each article with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a commitment to amplifying diverse voices within the sports community. She seeks to inspire, educate, and empower readers through her storytelling, fostering a deeper connection to the world of sports.

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