NFL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For former Minnesota Gopher star wide receiver Tyler Johnson those three letters are not just about where he is going, but they are about where he has been, who he is and the community that helped shape him. Yes, NFL is the acronym for National Football League \u2013 the assured next stop for Johnson \u2013 but ask the All-Big Ten star who holds 23 \u2026 twenty-three<\/em> Gopher records \u2026 what the NFL means to him and without hesitation it\u2019s Northside For Life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A product of North Minneapolis and proud graduate of North Community High School, Johnson returned to his alma mater to be honored by having his high school basketball jersey number retired and the mayor proclaimed Jan. 4, 2020 as Tyler Johnson Day in the city of Minneapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Johnson, the honor and his success say as much about him as they do about his beloved community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing just to have a day named for you. It took a lot of hard work. But I know I have people looking up to me and every time I hear a kid say he wants to be like me I say, \u2018No, be better than me,\u2019\u201d said Johnson. \u201cI\u2019m always going to be here (Northside) for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnson\u2019s commitment to the Northside was most evident when he enrolled at North in 2013. On the brink of closure, Johnson was one of just 56 students that year to attend the once vaunted school. In the school\u2019s return to glory, Johnson led the Polars to state titles in both football and basketball. Clearly a standout athlete and bright academic, Johnson had his pick of high schools, but he chose North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, it was my parents,\u201d said Johnson, who said their decision turned out to be the best for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are strong believers in our Northside community. We love the Northside. I\u2019m a proud Polar \u2013 class of \u201999 \u2013 and I knew Tyler was being surrounded by all the right people at North,\u201d said Lacreasha Johnson, Tyler Johnson\u2019s mom. \u201cIn many ways, going to North for Tyler was like going to a private school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Johnson\u2019s is one of many wonderful stories coming out of North Minneapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTyler gives us a sense of pride here in Minneapolis; pride of Northside and pride of our entire city,\u201d said Frey. \u201cI love the Northside and spend as much time as I can here. The Northside should not get the short end of the stick. It\u2019s a highlight and pillar of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In presenting Johnson with his proclamation, Frey\u2019s biggest applause line came when he recognized Johnson as not only a Polar for life or a Gopher for life; it came when he shouted out Johnson as NFL \u2026 Northside For Life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NFL. For former Minnesota Gopher star wide receiver Tyler Johnson those three letters are not just about where he is going, but they are about where he has been, who he is and the community that helped shape him. Yes, NFL is the acronym for National Football League \u2013 the assured next stop for Johnson […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[29,523,2391],"class_list":["post-3504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-minnesota","tag-nfl","tag-tyler-johnson","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3505,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions\/3505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}