Johnson poses for his cover shot after being declared the winner

After a lengthy round of voting from NFL fans, EA Sports announced today that Calvin Johnson, wide receiver of the Detroit Lions was elected as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 13.

Johnson beat out Cam Newton, QB for the Carolina Panthers in the final round of voting to earn the nod and becoming the first Lion to be on the cover since Barry Sanders had the honors in Madden NFL 2000.

The announcement took place during a live shooting of ESPN’s SportsNation in New York City.

“Knowing that millions of fans took part in the campaign, and to be the one they selected to appear on the cover of the game they play every day is an honor,” said an ecstatic Johnson. “To make it this far, and to beat out guys like Cam and Aaron Rodgers, a Super Bowl winning quarterback, it’s surreal to say the least. Much love to all the fans who voted for me.”

Madden NFL 13 will arrive in stores for the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation Vita on Aug. 28.