Eagles' Lane Johnson donates $500K for JUCO athletic facility, which will be called 'The Lane'
Before he was an All-Pro offensive tackle and Super Bowl winner, before he was the No. 4 pick in the draft, Lane Johnson was a junior college quarterback.
He hasn’t forgotten his roots, and now Johnson is giving back.
Coming soon: The Lane
On Wednesday, Kilgore College in Texas announced that Johnson donated $500,000 to the school for the construction of a new athletic performance center.
It will be known as “The Lane.”
The school said the 3,800-square-foot facility will include state-of-the-art weight and training equipment for use by all of Kilgore’s student-athletes.
The facility is currently a large, mostly unused locker room in the school’s Parks Fitness Center. The redone facility is scheduled to open in spring 2020.
‘Pivotal for helping my success’
Johnson spent one season at Kilgore, in 2008, playing quarterback and tight end. After that year, he signed with the University of Oklahoma, redshirting his first year, then playing tight end and defensive end in 2010.
In 2011, Johnson switched to offensive tackle, and after starting as the Sooners’ left tackle in 2012, Philadelphia drafted him fourth overall in 2013.
“I wanted to give back to one of the places that was pivotal for helping with my success,” Johnson said in the school’s announcement.
“I'm finally in a place where I can make these things a reality and inspire the next generation to chase their dreams. It truly is an underdog story – coming from small-town East Texas to a JUCO to making it in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl.
“My whole purpose is to show them that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. The only ones who are going to stop them are themselves and people who are trying to diminish their confidence. I am excited for the future of Kilgore College athletics and look forward to watching this program compete for championships.”
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