A four-sport star at Oakridge High School, Calvin Johnson went on to play point guard at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire despite his smallish stature at 5-foot-10, 150 pounds. A 1977 graduate, he earned Associated Press first-team All-state honors on the basketball court, co-captained the football team as quarterback/running back/kicker, and also excelled in track and cross-country at Oakridge. Johnson was a Detroit Free Press honorable mention all-state quarterback  and he finished fifth in the long jump at the state track meet.

He exceeded expectations at Dartmouth, earning accolades in various tournaments while majoring in a rigorous pre-med program. Johnson’s was Dartmouth’s second leading scorer, second in the Ivy League in assists, and earned third-team Academic All-American honors as a senior in 1980-81. He is now an accomplished anesthesiologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.