Marvin Harrison

This article is about the American football wide receiver. He is not to be confused with Marvin Harris or Martin Harrison (American football).

For his son, a college football player, see Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin Harrison

Harrison in 2022
No. 88
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1972-08-25) August 25, 1972 (age 50) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:	Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College:	Syracuse (1992–1995)
NFL Draft:	1996  / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (1996–2008)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XLI) 3× First-team All-Pro (1999, 2002, 2006) 5× Second-team All-Pro (2000, 2001, 2003–2005) 8× Pro Bowl (1999–2006) 2× NFL receiving yards leader (1999, 2002) 2× NFL receptions leader (2000, 2002) NFL receiving touchdowns co-leader (2005) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor All-Big East (1995)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 1,102 Receiving yards: 14,580 Receiving touchdowns: 128
Player stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Marvin Darnell Harrison Sr. (born August 25, 1972) is an American Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver who played 13 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL), much of it with Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. He played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was drafted by Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft.

Harrison earned a Super Bowl ring with the team in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears. An eight-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro member, he held the record for most receptions in a single season (143) until it was broken by Michael Thomas (149) in 2019. Harrison was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and is widely considered one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.

College career

Harrison attended Syracuse University, where he was a three-year starter for the Syracuse Orange football team, playing with quarterback Donovan McNabb in his final year. Harrison set a school record with 2,718 career receiving yards, which stood until 2017, when it was broken by Steve Ishmael in the final game of his career. Harrison also returned 42 punts for 542 yards and two touchdowns ^[1] and ranked second to Rob Moore in school history with 20 receiving touchdowns. Harrison graduated with a degree in retail management. ^[2]

College statistics

Season	Games		Receiving
	GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
1992	10	0	2	13	6.5	0
1993	11	9	41	813	19.8	7
1994	10	10	36	761	21.1	5
1995	11	11	56	1,131	20.2	8
Total	42	30	135	2,718	20.1	20

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	Wonderlic
5 ft 11+7⁄8 in (1.83 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	19
All values from NFL Combine [3] [4] [5]

Harrison was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the 19th selection in the 1996 NFL Draft, a selection which was obtained in a trade that sent Jeff George to the Atlanta Falcons. Harrison went on to become one of the most productive receivers from that draft class, which included Keyshawn Johnson, Eric Moulds, Bobby Engram, Muhsin Muhammad, Eddie Kennison, Terry Glenn, Amani Toomer, Joe Horn, and Terrell Owens among others.

Harrison with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

In 2002, Harrison broke Herman Moore's single-season receptions record by 20 receptions. He finished with 143 catches, and he also had 1,722 yards receiving. That record stood until December 22, 2019 when Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints broke that record with 149. In December 2006, Harrison became just the fourth player in NFL history to record 1000 receptions, joining Jerry Rice (1549), Cris Carter (1101), and Tim Brown (1094). He is also one of only seven wide receivers in NFL history to reach 100 touchdowns.

In 2005, Harrison had five 100+ yard receiving games in a seven-game stretch late in the season. During Week 15, he passed Isaac Bruce to become 10th in all-time career receiving yards, and also the leader among active players. He maintained this title for exactly two seasons, until Bruce retook the lead in Week 15 of 2007. Harrison had injured his knee against the Denver Broncos while attempting a block and was lost for the season, making only a small appearance in their lone playoff game that season. It marked only the second time Harrison had missed regular-season action due to injuries and the first since 1998.

On December 14, 2008, in a game against the Detroit Lions, Harrison caught his 1,095th career reception, passing Tim Brown for third all time. He passed Cris Carter to become second on the all-time NFL reception record list with 1,102 receptions during a 23–0 Colts victory over the Tennessee Titans on December 28, 2008.

Following the 2008 NFL season, Harrison asked for and was granted his release by the Colts. ^[6] After sitting out the entire 2009 season, Harrison quietly retired from the NFL. ^[7]

Harrison was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during the week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers on November 27, 2011. ^[8] He is widely considered one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Won the Super Bowl
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Rushing					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
1996	IND	16	15	64	836	13.1	41	8	3	15	5.0	15	0	1	1
1997	IND	16	15	73	866	11.9	44	6	2	-7	-3.5	0	0	2	0
1998	IND	12	12	59	776	13.2	61T	7	—	—	—	—	—	0	0
1999	IND	16	16	115	1,663	14.5	57T	12	1	4	4.0	4	0	2	1
2000	IND	16	16	102	1,413	13.9	78T	14	—	—	—	—	—	2	1
2001	IND	16	16	109	1,524	14.0	68	15	1	3	3.0	3	0	0	0
2002	IND	16	16	143	1,722	12.0	69	11	2	10	5.0	8	0	0	0
2003	IND	15	15	94	1,272	13.5	79T	10	1	3	3.0	3	0	2	2
2004	IND	16	16	86	1,113	12.9	59	15	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
2005	IND	15	15	82	1,146	14.0	80T	12	—	—	—	—	—	0	0
2006	IND	16	16	95	1,366	14.4	68T	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
2007	IND	5	5	20	247	12.4	42	1	—	—	—	—	—	0	0
2008	IND	15	15	60	636	10.6	67T	5	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Total		190	188	1,102	14,580	13.2	80T	128	10	28	2.8	15	0	12	8

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
1996	IND	1	1	3	71	23.7	48	0	0	0
1999	IND	1	1	5	65	13.0	25	0	0	0
2000	IND	1	1	5	63	12.6	30	0	0	0
2002	IND	1	1	4	47	11.8	17	0	0	0
2003	IND	3	3	16	250	15.6	46	2	1	1
2004	IND	2	2	9	95	10.6	24	0	0	0
2005	IND	1	1	3	52	17.3	24	0	0	0
2006	IND	4	4	15	193	12.9	42	0	1	0
2007	IND	1	1	2	27	13.5	17	0	1	1
2008	IND	1	1	3	20	6.7	9	0	0	0
Total		16	16	65	883	13.6	48	2	3	2

NFL records

• Most receptions in an 8 season period (826), 1999–2006; 9 season period (885), 1998–2006; 10 season period (958), 1997–2006; 11 season period (1,022), 1996–2006
• Most games in a career with at least 8 receptions (51), 9 receptions (32), 11 receptions (12), 12 receptions (8)
• Most consecutive games with at least 6 receptions (16) and 9 receptions (6)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 5 touchdowns (11) – shared with Jerry Rice, Don Hutson, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Terrell Owens, Frank Gore
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 6 touchdowns (11) – shared with Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice, Don Hutson
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 5 touchdown receptions (11) – shared with Jerry Rice, Don Hutson, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Terrell Owens
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 6 touchdown receptions (11) – shared with Jerry Rice, Don Hutson
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 10 touchdown receptions (8)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 11 touchdown receptions (4)-tied with Lance Alworth, Art Powell
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 14 touchdown receptions (2)-tied with Jerry Rice
• Consecutive seasons with 1,400+ receiving yards (4); 1999–2002 (broken by Julio Jones (5); 2014-2018)
• Consecutive seasons with 82+ receptions (8); 1999–2006
• Most games in a single season (2002) with at least 6 receptions (15), 7 receptions (12)-broken by Antonio Brown, 8 receptions (12), 9 receptions (10)-tied by Julio Jones, 11 receptions (5)
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for most completions between a wide receiver and quarterback with 953.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for passing touchdowns between a WR and QB with 114.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for passing yards between a WR and QB with 12,766.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for completions in a season between a WR and QB with 143 in 2002.
• First player to record 2 seasons of 1,600 yards receiving in NFL history, (1999 & 2002). (Torry Holt became the 2nd, (2000 & 2003), Calvin Johnson became the 3rd (2011 & 2012)) Antonio Brown became the 4th (2014 & 2015) Julio Jones became the 5th (2015 & 2018)).
• First player to have 50+ receptions in his first 11 seasons in NFL history. (Torry Holt became the 2nd on December 27, 2009)
• Most consecutive seasons of 1,000+ all-purpose yards and 10+ touchdown receptions (8), 1999–2006
• On December 18, 2006, Marvin Harrison and Indianapolis Colt teammate Reggie Wayne became the only NFL wide receiver tandem to catch 75 receptions and 1,000 yards in 3 straight seasons. The game was on Monday Night and was played against the Cincinnati Bengals.
• On December 10, 2006, made his 1000th reception against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in 167 career games
• On December 28, 2008, made his 1,100th career reception against the Tennessee Titans in his last regular season game and his last game in Indianapolis. He is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in 190 career games.
• Most receptions over first 7 seasons (665), 8 seasons (759), 9 seasons (845), 10 seasons (927), 11 seasons (1,022) and 13 seasons (1,102) of career of any NFL receiver
• Most consecutive games with a reception to start a career (190)
• Most average receptions per game in a career (5.8) – 1996–2008
• Most consecutive games with 8+ receiving yards (190), (206 if counting playoffs) – every game
• Most consecutive games with a 6+ yard reception (190), (206 if counting playoffs) – every game
• Most consecutive games with an 8+ yard reception (177), (192 if counting playoffs)

Personal life

Harrison was sued in a civil lawsuit by Dwight Dixon, a convicted drug dealer, after Dixon was shot outside Chuckie's Garage, a North Philadelphia business owned by Harrison, on April 29, 2008. ^{[13] [14]} The two men had been in a fight minutes prior to the shooting over an issue that happened a few weeks earlier, when Dixon and Harrison got into a verbal argument when Harrison denied Dixon entry into Playmakers, a sports bar owned and operated by Harrison. Dixon alleged that Harrison was the gunman who shot at him. On January 6, 2009, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham confirmed that the gun that fired shots at Dixon was the same model as Harrison's gun, but they had been unable to determine who pulled the trigger. ^[15]

Abraham also stated that she was not going to pursue charges in this case due to conflicting witness statements. In fact, within a week of the first shooting, Marvin Harrison was not considered a suspect. ^[16] Dixon, who had initially given the police a false name and claimed he was robbed by two men when interviewed at the hospital, ^[17] was subsequently convicted of filing a false report for this incident on January 28, 2009. Dixon was sentenced to 6 months probation. Dixon's attorney reportedly sought a new trial as the conviction violated Dixon's parole in an unrelated case. ^[18] Harrison was also sued by Robert Nixon, a victim caught in the crossfire of the shooting who identified Harrison as the shooter in a statement to the police. ^[19]

Dixon died on July 21, 2009, after he was shot several times while in his car outside a building two blocks away from Harrison's sports bar. At the hospital after the shooting, detectives questioned Dixon before surgery and he stated that it stemmed from the Harrison incident a year prior and that Harrison had hired a gunman to shoot him. An informant also made a statement asserting the gunman that killed Dixon was Lonnie Harrison, Marvin Harrison's cousin. On June 16, 2010, Shaun Assael of ESPN The Magazine reported that the police confiscated a 9mm handgun from Harrison during a routine traffic stop on Wednesday in Philadelphia. They tested the gun to see if it matched three spent 9mm shell casings that ended up inside the truck driven by Dwight Dixon at the scene of an April 2008 shooting. Dixon, who eventually was shot and killed after filing a civil lawsuit, claimed that the casings came from a second gun that Harrison fired. Authorities already have matched other bullets to a separate gun that Harrison owns—and that he stated was in his home on the day the shooting occurred. They found the gun during a search of Harrison's Escalade. The stop occurred as Harrison drove the vehicle the wrong way on a one-way street. Harrison claimed he did not have a gun. But the police believed they saw Harrison put what appeared to be a weapon in the console between the two front seats. They concluded that they had probable cause to search the vehicle and they found the gun, but Harrison was not charged. ^[20] Another incident occurred in 2014 when Harrison narrowly escaped a Philadelphia shooting. ^[21]

Harrison's son, Marvin Harrison Jr., plays college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. ^[22]

References

1. "Harrison on College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 2nd time". June 4, 2019.
2. "Marvin Harrison: Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts". Colts.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008.
3. "Marvin Harrison, Combine Results, WR - Syracuse". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
4. "Inside NFL's Wonderlic Test - And Why It Matters". foxsports.com. April 12, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
5. "Marvin Harrison's Wonderlic Test Score". footballiqscore.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
6. "Indianapolis Colts end 13-year relationship, release wide receiver Marvin Harrison - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. February 24, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
7. MJD. "Peter King Twitters that Marvin Harrison is done - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
8. "This site will soon be up and running". Indiana.sbnation.com. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
9. Legwold, Jeff (February 7, 2016). "Brett Favre, Ken Stabler, Marvin Harrison among Hall's 2016 class". ESPN. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
10. Holder, Stephen (February 7, 2016). "Marvin Harrison's work ethic rewarded". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
11. Harrison, Elliot. "Ten best receivers of all time". NFL.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
12. "Start with Rice No. 1, Moss No. 2 in best WR debate - NFL - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. March 26, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
13. Archived January 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
14. "Civil Docket". Fjdefile.phila.gov. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
15. "Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more". Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
16. Alesia, Mark. "Police: 'Harrison not suspect at this point'". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
17. "Man shot by Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison's gun set for trial". ESPN. January 27, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
18. Archived February 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
19. "Second man claims ex-Indianapolis Colts WR Marvin Harrison shot him". ESPN. July 27, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
20. "Sources: FBI joins probe of Marvin Harrison gun case". ESPN. January 15, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
21. "Marvin Harrison Narrowly Avoids Gunfire in Philadelphia". philly.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
22. "Ohio State gets commitment from Marvin Harrison Jr". espn.com. October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.

External links

• Indianapolis Colts bio
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com  ·  ESPN  ·  Yahoo! Sports  ·  Pro Football Reference