Calvin Johnson

Growing up I always have been a big Lions fan because I have family in Detroit. My grandparents grew up in Detroit and I grew up watching Detroit. So I was bound to become a Detroit fan. While watching them I always saw this big 6'5" receiver named Calvin Johnson. His personality inspires me to be exactly what I want to be when I am older. What I like about him most is he is a very talented and gifted player, but is very humble. Most athletes that play his position are known for celebrating and they have cocky attitudes. But he allows his work to speak for itself. As a high school football player, he shows himself as a great example for me. Someday I'd like to be a great football player like Calvin.

In the NFL, life style is a factor of one's success. According to NFL.com you must follow 4 different goals to make it in the NFL; "Offseason focus: Maintain, don't gain" "Skill work: Become a jack of all trades" "Build a tough mentality" "Hate to lose". In training to get to the NFL you will go through something called the combine week. www.nfl.com says that combine training can increase your athleticism in many ways such as "14 pounds of muscle gained, .3 seconds faster in 40-yard dash time, six inches higher on a vertical jump and 12 more bench press reps." according to http://www.bls.gov/ooh/ an average athlete makes $1.9 million per year.

Calvin Johnson had two influential people in his life. His mother, Arica Johnson, had a positive influence on him. She made him get good grades in school, or no football was allowed. His other influence came from his grandfather, who was a reverend and a retired police detective. Calvin had enough talent to play baseball and football. He was 6 ft 4 inches in 10th grade. He had great speed and strength, as well as great leap ability, body control, and hand-eye coordination. He was a 3 year starter in high school as a receiver. As a junior he caught 736 yards and made 8 touchdowns. He was rated one of the top 10 receivers in the nation. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology where he played football. He broke many records, including 15 touchdowns in 2006. One of the quotes that I like from him says, "It took a lot of hard work and it took some getting back up. But my thing is I always had people that were very good around me and then I could push myself because I wanted to be the best." He was regarded as the best athlete to come out of the draft and was the #1 player on most draft boards. In August 2007 Johnson signed a six year contract with the Detroit Lions for $64 million, being the highest paid receiver in the NFL. He has broken all kinds of records since playing in the NFL. In 2012 he broke the record for most receiving yards in a single season, which was 1964 yards. In 2014 Johnson became the fastest player to reach 10,000 receiving yards in NFL history. Calvin Johnson is entering his 9th season as an NFL player. He has always been a player who lets his actions and his work ethic do his talking for him, but he enjoys his role as a veteran and a leader.

Johnson started a foundation that helps other young athletes. The Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation began in 2008 and the scholarship conference alternates between Atlanta and Detroit. Forty-one student-athletes have been awarded scholarships to 23 universities. They receive awards of $5000 to $6000 as financial support for books and other educational materials. They hold a two day event, where Calvin and his family really get involved and interact with the athletes that attend. He tries to be an inspiration for the kids and shares with them all of his experiences. He does all this with humbleness and grace. When asked who his closest friend and confidant is, without hesitation he says it's Derrick Moore, the team chaplain for Georgia Tech's football team. Moore is the emcee at the scholarship dinner where he easily draws you in to what he is saying. When speaking about Johnson he says "Not only did he show up, but he was the first to show up. And not only was he the first to show up, he was the last to leave. He stayed to help me clean things up. And I watched and observed how he interacted with his future teammates and the way he served me and this situation. I said, 'Greatness is in that kid's future. ' " Moore is a mentor and a major part of Johnson's life.

Johnson keeps a notebook with him wherever he goes. Inside are thoughts and influence scribbled all over it. There are notes from sermons from church, and other thoughts. Some examples of thoughts would be "listen to everybody, respond to few". He says he uses it as a tool so that it's easy to go back and reference when he needs something. He says it helps him to limit the amount of temptation and keeps him on a straight path. He wrote a mission statement where this is what he said: "This is how I want to be seen, this is how I wanted to live. To flow in spirit, loving God and others, believing that through hard work our potential can become actualization through faith and to be an example to others through my actions." Calvin Johnson has fulfilled his mission statement, and is a great example of what a great player exemplifies.