Hall of Fame pitcher goes viral for his NFL gig
May 18, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Former Arizona Diamondback and Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson throws out the first pitch prior to the game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Johnson was recognized for his perfect game 15 years ago to the day. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson went viral this week after some people realized the man has another impressive talent.
Since retiring from MLB in 2009, the Big Unit has pursued a career in photography. The former 5-time Cy Young Award winner received renewed attention for his passion after a reporter came across a photo of Johnson photographing an NFL game.
learned today that randy johnson is now a professional photographer (??) and shoots nfl games (???) pic.twitter.com/P714LxY6hH
— Sophie Kleeman (@sophiekleeman) October 12, 2022
Johnson, who pitched eight seasons for the Diamondbacks, was photographing an Arizona Cardinals game when that photo was taken.
The news about Johnson being a photographer and shooting NFL games was new to some, but Johnson’s love of photography is nothing new.
The 59-year-old studied photojournalism in college and talked about his love of photography during his MLB career.
“My love of cameras and photos goes back to my high school days. I have been on both sides of the shutter, and they are equally intriguing.” – Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, on his love of photography
📷 Milo Stewart Jr. pic.twitter.com/gqrAmrC6LH
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) October 12, 2022
“My career as a Major League baseball pitcher has been well documented, but what is not as well known is my passion for photography, which began when I studied photojournalism at the University of Southern California from 1983-85. Baseball became my occupation for two decades but my love of photography never left. Following my 2010 retirement, I was able to focus my attention back to this passion,” Johnson says on his website.
People also loved Johnson’s photography logo, which is a nod to the bird he hit with a pitch in a 2001 spring training game.
The logo for Randy Johnson's Photography company 🕊️🪦 pic.twitter.com/QBXDPFKa9p
— Chris Creamer (@sportslogosnet) October 12, 2022
In addition to photographing NFL games, Johnson has long photographed auto races, concerts, and more. One of his former Seattle mariners teammates has also gone into photography since retirement.
