Megatron day: Michigan honors Lions great Calvin Johnson

• Eric Woodyard, ESPNSep 30, 2024, 07:27 PM ET

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  Eric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter dedicated to the Midwest region before switching to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Mich. native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: “Wasted, Ethan’s Talent Search” and “All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story”. He is a proud parent of one son, Ethan. You can follow him on Twitter: @E_Woodyard

DETROIT — There’s a new holiday in Michigan.

And it’s honoring one of the most iconic professional athletes in state history.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared Sept. 30 as “Megatron Day” in honor of Detroit Lions great Calvin “Megatron” Johnson.

Johnson is also set to enter the Pride of the Lions during halftime of Detroit’s homecoming game on “Monday Night Football” against the Seattle Seahawks, which honors the brightest stars in team history at Ford Field.

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Whitmer, a diehard Lions fan, connected with Johnson’s personal team and the Lions organization once the news of his induction became official to line everything up beforehand. She made the announcement earlier today.

“One of the greatest wide receivers of all time and still rocking the coolest nickname in sports history,” Whitmer wrote on X. “Megatron brought magic to the field every game.”

Johnson celebrated his 39th birthday Sunday evening with a private induction ceremony dinner that was held at Ford Field. In 2021, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and still holds Lions franchise records for career receptions (731), receiving yards (11,619) and receiving touchdowns (83) during his nine-year career from 2007 to 2015.

He said he hopes to leave a legacy of “grittiness,” and being respected among Detroit fans throughout his Lions tenure.

“You’ve got to work your tail off and I wanted people to see that in my game,” Johnson said. “That’s how I was raised. We were building from the ground up, literally at [0-16]. So, you had to put the work in.”

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