IRVING, Texas (Nov. 7, 2018) – Georgia Tech and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2018 electee Calvin Johnson with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Nov. 10, during the Yellow Jackets' game against Miami. Coverage of the game will start at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
 
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee's Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater or college where he coached to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many inductees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and hear the crowd roar their name.
 
"Calvin Johnson is arguably the greatest wide receiver in Georgia Tech history and one of the best to ever play college football," said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. "His remarkable career has made him worthy of induction, and we are thrilled to honor him at Bobby Dodd Stadium."
 
One of just six Yellow Jackets to be a two-time First Team All-American, Johnson earned unanimous honors as a senior and became the first three-time First Team All-ACC selection in program history. The Tyrone, Ga., native remains Georgia Tech's all-time career leader in receiving yards (2,927), touchdown receptions (28) and 100-yard receiving games (13).
 
Johnson's best year came in 2006 when he won the Biletnikoff Award and was named the ACC Player of the Year after leading the Yellow Jackets to the Coastal Division title. A team captain that season, he placed in the top 10 for the Heisman Trophy after setting single-season school records for receiving yards (1,202), touchdown receptions (15) and 100-yard receiving games (7).
 
The 2004 Freshman All-American and ACC Rookie of the Year helped Georgia Tech to three consecutive bowl games, including a win in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. A seven-time ACC Player of the Week, Johnson ranks 15th in conference history in career receiving yards and is tied for seventh in career touchdown receptions. "Megatron" also sits in the top 10 in Georgia Tech annals in five other receiving categories, currently ranking second in both career and single-season receptions. He was elected to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
 
The second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Johnson spent his entire nine-year career with the Detroit Lions. The Lions' all-time leading receiver, he was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and owns the NFL record for single-season receiving yards.
 
Off the field, he founded the Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation to help at-risk youth and provide financial assistance to community organizations. He currently works as a private wide-receiver consultant, mentoring players at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, and he says he plans to return to college to finish his degree.
 
Johnson becomes the 14th Yellow Jacket player to be inducted, joining Maxie Baughan (1957-59), Ray Beck (1948-51), Bobby Davis (1944-47), Bill Fincher (1916-20), Buck Flowers (1918-20), Joe Guyon (1917-18), Joe Hamilton (1996-99), George Morris (1950-52), Larry Morris (1951-54), Peter Pund (1926-28), Randy Rhino (1972-74), Everett Strupper (1915-17) and Pat Swilling (1982-85).
 
Three former Georgia Tech coaches are also in the Hall: Bill Alexander (1920-44), Bobby Dodd (1945-66) and John Heisman (1904-19).
 
Including the 2018 class, only 997 players and 217 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.33 million people who have played or coached the game over the past 149 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have set foot on the gridiron have earned the distinction. Click here for a complete list of players and coaches in the Hall.
 
The 2018 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on Tuesday, Dec. 4. This year's College Football Hall of Fame Class includes: Trevor Cobb (Rice), Kerry Collins (Penn State), Dave Dickenson (Montana), Dana Howard (Illinois), Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech), Paul Palmer (Temple), Ed Reed (Miami [Fla.]), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia), Aaron Taylor (Nebraska), Charles Woodson (Michigan) and coaches Frank Beamer (Murray State, Virginia Tech), Mack Brown (Appalachian State, Tulane, North Carolina, Texas) and Mel Tjeerdsma (Austin College [Texas], Northwest Missouri State). For more information on the Dinner, please contact Will Rudd at wrudd@footballfoundation.com or by calling 972.556.1000.
 
The 2018 Class will also be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
 

Remaining Scheduled 2018 NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes
Presented by Fidelity Investments

 

DATE	INDUCTEE	SCHOOL (YEARS PLAYED/COACHED)	OPPOSING TEAM
Nov. 10	Calvin Johnson	Georgia Tech (2004-06)	Miami [Fla.]
Nov. 10	Matt Stinchcomb	Georgia (1995-98)	Auburn

 
The 2018 season marks the ninth season that Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of workplace savings plans in higher education, is serving as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education.
 
Fidelity is a proud partner of The William V. Campbell Trophy^®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award, and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Fidelity also helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
 
 
About Fidelity Investments
Fidelity's mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $7.4 trillion, including managed assets of $2.6 trillion as of September 30, 2018, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers: helping more than 28 million people invest their own life savings, 23,000 businesses manage employee benefit programs, as well as providing more than 13,000 financial advisory firms with investment and technology solutions to invest their own clients' money. Privately held for 70 years, Fidelity employs more than 40,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about.
 
About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include Football Matters^®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy^®, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments – a proud partner of the Campbell Trophy^®, Herff Jones, New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Sports Business Journal, SportsManias, Under Armour and VICIS. Learn more at footballfoundation.org.