Andre Johnson is officially the first Houston Texans player to be selected to the NFL’s Hall of Fame.
He’ll also be the last person to address the crowd in Canton, Ohio on August 3.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame officially set its speaker order for its class of enshrinees on Thursday The order of speeches – which are capped at 10 minutes each – is as follows (presenters are in parentheses):
1. Dwight Freeney (Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner and chief executive officer)
2. Steve McMichael via his home (Jarrett Payton, longtime friend and sports anchor)
3. Randy Gradishar (Tom Jackson, former Denver Broncos teammate)
4. Devin Hester (Juanita Brown, Devin’s mother)
5. Patrick Willis (Ernicka Willis, sister)
6. Julius Peppers (Carl Carey, longtime friend, mentor and agent)
7. Andre Johnson (Gary Kubiak, former Houston Texans coach)
The seventh and final speaker will be the @HoustonTexans Legend Andre Johnson. (cont.) pic.twitter.com/mPf6zqeoiy
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) July 18, 2024
Johnson, the Texans’ all-time leader in every receiving category, has waited for this moment since retiring from the league in 2016. After being left out the first three times, Johnson was selected and announced as a representative for the 2024 class during the NFL Awards in February.
Drafted out of Miami third overall in 2003, Johnson was an offensive focal point in the Kubiak era, helping Houston win its first two AFC South titles and first two playoff games. During his 12 seasons in a Texans’ uniform, he caught 1,012 passes for 13,597 yards and 64 touchdowns.
Nick Caserio on the #Texans being able to take team to Canton for HOF weekend and have players watch Andre Johnson get inducted
“There’s a football component but there’s also would say a personal growth development component as well and hopefully we all take advantage of it.” pic.twitter.com/kxSXPcbKkP
— Shaun Bijani (@ShaunBijani) July 18, 2024
“He’s one of the greatest players I’ve ever coached,” Kubiak told HoustonTexans.com of Johnson. “There’s never been any doubt in my mind that he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame because he’s one of the greatest receivers in history.”
The festivities from the Hall of Fame will begin at 11 a.m. CT. The seven new inductees will bring the hall’s membership to 378 individuals.