Calvin Johnson Jr. was able to put up a gigantic feat for the Detroit Lions that earned him the nickname “Megatron” in his rookie season. But not everything was as smooth as it looked. Right after his first exposure to the sport in middle school, Johnson Jr. found himself fighting doubts about whether to continue playing this sport or not. Thank god, he didn’t give up back then.

“I almost quit [on] my first day of playing football,” shared Johnson Jr. “I was a running back, right? So we’re doing this dumb a** drill. This is illegal nowadays. This is the 45-degree tackling drill. And I was, I remember my dude, Brandon Murphy. He was a defensive lineman. He smashed me on the sideline. You know, he’s like, he had to be like 200-plus pounds in middle school. I might be, maybe a buck 50. He smashed me on the sideline as a running back.

“And I was like, ‘Okay.’ I’m almost turning my cleats that day. My mom had me in some ugly a** Riddells. You know, my swag was terrible. You know, it was, yeah, it was a bad experience, but no, I stuck to it and, you know, ended up hitting my growth spurt and turned into a receiver.”

Back in middle school, Johnson was 6 feet tall. But that could not give him any advantage during the 45-degree tackling drill.

Unlike a traditional Fit drill, where a player approaches straight on, this drill requires them to come in at a 45-degree angle. As they make the tackle, their outside foot should be forward at the point of contact. Ideally, the inside foot lands during the gather step before their outside foot moves forward as they make contact and wrap up.

The fact that the drill involved an unnecessarily dangerous level of physical contact, Johnson Jr. shared how it would have been banned had it been today. But he was not lucky back then.

Other than the challenges that came with the drill, Johnson Jr.’s struggles got 10x worse when he had to face off against Brandon Murphy, who was significantly bigger than him, weighing more than 200 pounds. His fear came true when Murphy hit him on the sidelines, and Johnson Jr. was all ready to call it quits with the sport. However, just because he showed mental and physical strength by not giving up that day, he tasted the fruits of his decision years later.

After middle school, he went to high school at Sandy Creek. What followed was his strong run at Georgia Tech. He wrapped up his three-year run with 2,927 yards and 28 touchdowns. But the next chapter that followed made what Johnson Jr. is known for to this day.

Season after season, Johnson gave the Lions a reliable presence in the passing game. He crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark seven times and established himself among the NFL’s elite receivers by winning the league’s receiving yardage title in both 2011 and 2012. The latter campaign was particularly special, as he also paced the league with 122 receptions.

Johnson’s influence was not limited to regular-season production. He consistently led Detroit in receptions and receiving yards, dominating both categories from 2008 through 2013 before reclaiming the team lead in receiving yards in 2015.

One of his noteworthy plays that left a mark in fans’ hearts was during the Detroit Lions’ 37-34 overtime win against the Chicago Bears on October 18, 2015. That game presented a tale of two halves for Johnson. After being kept relatively quiet during the opening five weeks of the season, he put together an impressive first-half performance with three catches for 90 yards.

However, the targets dried up after the break, leaving him waiting for another opportunity. That moment arrived with only 21 seconds left in regulation, and Johnson made the most of it by scoring the go-ahead touchdown.

That’s how Megatron made the right call by not hanging up his cleats in middle school.