Number 80 waited inside a black sprinter van until the time was right. Once he was cued, the former Texans wide receiver, Andre Johnson, stepped out of the van with a large Texans swag bag in hand.
He approached a Sugar Land home, owned by Brian Carrion and his wife. They were about to get the surprise of a lifetime, “Andre Johnson, no way! I can’t believe it! I’m a huge fan. This is amazing. Can I go get my wife?” asked Carrion.
Johnson teamed up with NBC Sports to surprise two Houston Texans super fans before the team takes on the Super Bowl reigning champions, Kansas City Chiefs.
Johnson has been giving back to the Houston community for many years. He has a foundation, hosts toy drives.
Superfan Carrion is a season ticket holder and a mega fan. He and his wife have a baby boy on the way.
He will no doubt be an adorable tiny Texans fan, “My wife is limiting me on how much Texans stuff I can buy so far for the baby but yeah, we’ll be at the games with our baby boy.”
Johnson then took off to the Houston Texans YMCA near downtown to surprise a group of little fans and aspiring athletes.
Johnson walked in and the cheers erupted. The young athletes could not believe they were meeting a hall of famer.
Johnson signed autographs and gave out Texans swag like footballs, jerseys, blankets and t-shirts.
When Johnson was asked out his inspiration, he said, “I enjoy doing it but I don’t think I really gained anything off of it. I just really like to see other people smile. You never know what people are going through so I enjoy that.”
Johnson says he’s committed to always helping out in our community, “I’ve had kids come up to me and tell me I remember when you gave me a bike when I was in elementary school. Or a dad said his daughter got a toy from me at one of my Toys R Us’ drives and now she has her own toy fundraiser.”
An now with C.J. Stroud and the Texans on fire, Johnson says, fans must show up and support the team in a big way, “They definitely need the support. Get to the games early so the guys can see fans in the stands when they’re warming up.”
The Houston Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs this Saturday, with coverage on NBC and Peacock. Don’t miss our pre-game show, “Inside the Texans,” starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by kickoff at Noon.
