Seven men will be formally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton, Ohio. Yahoo Sports will take a relatively short look at each legend and how he reached football immortality.
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When listing the best receivers of the 21st century, there aren’t many names you’d get to before Andre Johnson.
A staple of the Houston Texans franchise and the NFL receiving leaderboards, Johnson was a special talent and will be enshrined in Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
“Being selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame means everything to me,” Johnson said. “… When I first entered the NFL, I never thought about the idea of becoming a Pro Football Hall of Famer one day. I just wanted to be known as one of the best players to ever play the game, but now I get to go to football heaven, where I can enjoy the ultimate closure to my career.”
Despite not having the team success that other receivers of the era had — Houston made the playoffs twice in Johnson’s 12 years, losing in the divisional round both times — Johnson’s career accolades proved that he certainly was one of the best at the position. He was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times in his career and was named an All-Pro four times.
The first player to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame primarily as a Houston Texan played his college ball at the University of Miami, then became second first-round pick in the history of the new Houston franchise, going third overall in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Johnson came into the league as a Day 1 starter and quickly made a name for himself as an offensive powerhouse. At 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, he was a powerful athlete with speed and strength to routinely win his matchups and make big plays.
As a rookie, Johnson had 976 receiving yards on 66 receptions and four touchdowns. His second season would see Johnson take the next step as a star receiver. He logged his first season with over 1,000 yards in his career. It became one of seven seasons in his career where he reached that milestone. That season also marked Johnson’s first Pro Bowl appearance.
Despite all of the individual success that Johnson was having, the Texans as a whole were still struggling to win games. In his first two seasons, Houston went 12-20. Then, in Johnson’s third season, the team went a woeful 2-14.
“There were times when I didn’t want to get up and come to work,” Johnson said, according to the Boston Globe. “It’s hard because you’re working your butt off and you just can’t get the job done. That’s the biggest thing I tell the guys. You don’t ever want to experience that because it’s not a good feeling.”
In 2006, Johnson logged another 1,000-yard receiving season, this time with an All-Pro selection along with it. Although the team continued to struggle, Johnson never took his foot off the gas in terms of practicing and working on his game.
“I’ll never forget. I remember after a week of practice, I pulled you aside and I was like ‘man you practice like a rookie trying to make the team,’” N.D. Kalu, Johnson’s former teammate, said to him. “And I’ll never forget, you said, ‘That’s the only way I know.’ It was almost like you were saying that was a stupid statement because that’s the only way I know how to go.”
In 2008, Johnson took off as one of the elite receivers in the game. The acquisition of quarterback Matt Schaub saw immediate dividends as the two developed chemistry on the field.
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As a result, Johnson put up the best numbers of his career to that point. He led the league with 115 catches and 1,575 yards, to go along with nine touchdowns, and was named first-team All-Pro.
The following year would bring similar numbers for Johnson, putting up over 1,500 yards to lead the league once again. Johnson became only the second player in league history to lead the league in receiving in consecutive years, joining Calvin Johnson and Jerry Rice.
He had his third consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season in 2010. However, that year is remembered for another reason.
In a game against the Tennessee Titans, Johnson got into a fight with defensive back Cortland Finnegan. Finnegan pushed up Johnson’s face mask and in response, Johnson tore off Finnegan’s helmet and threw at least two punches that connected. Both players were ejected from the game.
“I would like to apologize to the organization, our owner, my teammates,” Johnson said afterward. “What happened out there wasn’t me. I just lost my cool and I wish I could take back what happened but I can’t.”
In 2011, the Texans finished 10-6 and won the AFC South and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. In the wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson had 90 yards and a touchdown on five catches in his team’s 31-10 victory. Johnson then caught eight balls for 111 yards in a divisional-round loss to Baltimore.
Houston won the division and made the playoffs again in 2012, starting 11-1 but sputtering down the stretch and losing to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
In 2015, Johnson left Houston as a free agent, signing with the Indianapolis Colts for a season and then playing one last year in Tennessee.
Johnson ended his career with 1,062 catches for 14,185 receiving yards and 70 touchdowns in 193 regular-season games. Similarly, after his final year with the Texans in 2014, he held multiple franchise records, including career receiving yards (13,591), career receptions (1,012) and most seasons (10) leading the team in receptions.
“To the city of Houston, the Houston Texans organization and the fan base, thank you for embracing me and always showing me and my family love and support,” Johnson said. “I am so honored to be the first Texan to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and can’t wait to continue to represent this organization as they continue their success.”