James Harrison (American football)

James Henry Harrison Jr. (born May 4, 1978) is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Kent State University, and was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Harrison has earned two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers, in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. Harrison also played NFL Europe's Rhein Fire and had a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens. He played 10 games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013. Soon after his season in 2013 with Cincinnati he stated that he would be retiring from the NFL, but he came out of retirement to return to the Steelers on a 1-year contract after Pittsburgh suffered multiple injuries with their linebackers.

Early years

Born in Akron, Ohio, Harrison was the youngest of 14 children to James Sr. (a chemical truck driver) and Mildred. He played Little League baseball in Scranton, Pennsylvania for Sloan Little League's Green Team. He was selected to the All-Star team in 1991. He grew up in Akron, and his favorite NFL team was the Cleveland Browns, who played only 40 miles from his house. His mother did not want him to play at first. It took both Harrison and his best friend from childhood, David Walker, to convince her. When he started to play, he excelled at both linebacker and running back. He attended two high schools his freshman year, Archbishop Hoban High School then Coventry High School, where, in addition to football, also participated in track & field, competing in events ranging from the shot put to the high jump. He had PR of 15.63 meters (51 ft 3in) in the shot put, 38.86 meters in the discus throw (127 ft 5 in) and 1.85 meters (6 ft 1 in) in the high jump. He was also a state-qualifier in the 4x100m relay. Harrison was one of the first African-Americans to play football at Coventry, and he graduated in 1998.