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 five-time Cy Young Award winner received renewed attention for his passion after a reporter came across a photo of Johnson photographing an NFL game.
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 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.
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.
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