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Game-changing decision put NFL Hall of Famer Andre Johnson on track to a outstanding career
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- Game-changing decision put NFL Hall of Famer Andre Johnson on track to a outstanding career
CANTON— Andre Johnson called it "a game changer."
The Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver will always remember his mother's decision to remove him from his comfort zone. Instead of going to high school in his own district, Johnson went to Miami Senior in Florida.
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"Miami High showed me something different," Johnson said during his enshrinement speech Saturday. "It taught me about working hard. It taught me about brotherhood.
"My high school put me in a different environment. The guys showed me something I never experienced before. They showed me something about supporting each other. They wanted guys to be successful and pushed you to go to college and be successful."
Andre Johnson delivers his speech at the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday.
Miami Senior helped put Johnson on track toward a successful college career at the University of Miami and a great 14-year run in the NFL. He stood on stage at Tom Benson Stadium as the first homegrown Houston Texan to make it to the Hall of Fame.
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On one of the biggest days of his life, Johnson saluted his mother, Karen.
2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Andre Johnson in The 2024 Canton Repository Grand Parade, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024.
"All your hard work, sacrifice and dedication, it didn't go unnoticed," Johnson said. "The way you raised me and my little brother, it was a Hall of Fame effort.
"Today, Mom, you go into the Hall of Fame."
Johnson spent 12 of his 14 NFL seasons with the Texans . He led the league in catches and receiving yards twice, was voted All-Pro four times and made seven Pro Bowls. He ranks 11th all-time with 14,185 receiving yards.
"He had a physical presence about him that was like no other," former Texans coach Gary Kubiak, Johnson's presenter, said in a recorded message. "Andre could have been an All-Pro tight end. He had that size.
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"The speed, that was absolutely top notch. He could get on top of people, (and that) scared to death out of you. He was so physical. If you chose to come up and bump him, he would throw you around.
"He was the central piece of everything we did. Andre Johnson was a big-play player. He wasn't about catches and touches. He was about changing games, making big plays that changed games."
Kristen Orrenma of Houston cheers on Andre Johnson of the Texans during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Canton.
Johnson spoke last at a ceremony delayed nearly two hours because of severe weather. Some of the crowd thinned out by then. One exception was a large group of Houston fans that remained.
"I can't lie," Johnson said. "I'm as happy as hell. I've reached the pinnacle."
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Later he told the Texans fans, "I'm as happy as hell to be your first Pro Football Hall of Famer."
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Andre Johnson Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech
