Harris grew up in Dixmoor,Illinois.[3] He attended Lincoln Elementary School,Rosa L. Parks Middle School,and Thornton Township High School. He was a tri-star athlete and honor student. His father Napoleon Harris Jr. died his junior year of high school. His mother Brenda Faye Bowman Harris,raised Napoleon and his siblings,Tomeika and Jonathan as a single mother. Napoleon was determined to make his family proud and put them in a better position by using his brains and his athletic ability.
Harris was selected in the first round of the 2002 draft by the Oakland Raiders,the 23rd overall pick.[5] That year,he started 13 of 16 regular-season games,all three playoff games,and Super Bowl XXXVII for the Oakland Raiders and was named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie team.
In 2005,Harris was acquired by the Minnesota Vikings as part of blockbuster trade which sent Randy Moss to Oakland for the seventh overall pick and a seventh-round pick in the 2005 NFL draft. The Vikings used the picks to select wide receiverTroy Williamson and cornerbackAdrian Ward. Despite being traded for one of the premier players in the National Football League,Harris did not immediately live up to his potential the following season with the Minnesota Vikings. In that first season with the Vikings,he was hampered with a lingering knee injury and saw limited playing time. However,in the second season he finished second on the team with 96 tackles,3 interceptions,3.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries in 14 games.
On March 6,2007,Harris agreed to a six-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.[6][7] The Chiefs released Harris on October 14,2008. Just two days after his release from the Chiefs,Harris re-joined the Minnesota Vikings on October 16. Harris started in 5 of the 10 games he played and finished his second stint with the Vikings with 32 tackles and 1 sack,and also scored his first NFL touchdown after returning a fumble 27 yards in week 12 in Jacksonville. Despite a fairly good performance,the Vikings did not hold on to him.
In May 2008,Napoleon appeared on The CW Network series The Game.[8] Harris signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders on August 24,2009,after the team released cornerbackRicky Manning,but was released five days later.[9]
Harris is married to Nicole M. Bunton Harris with three children. Napoleon Nico Harris IV,Noah Bill Harris and Nahla Nicole Harris. After leaving the NFL,Harris,his wife,and children became the owner of two Beggars Pizza locations.
Napoleon is very active not only in the community but as a father,he coaches basketball for both of his son's AAU teams and also runs drills with his daughter with tennis. His children have his athletic skills as all three of them have won many awards and championships within their respective sports.
Andre Lydell Bunton was the brother-in-law of Senator Napoleon B. Harris III. He was tragically murdered on July 18,2013,in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. At 37 years old,Bunton was sitting in his car when he was shot in the chest. He attempted to drive away but lost control,crashing into two parked vehicles before succumbing to his injuries .
Illinois Senate
In 2011,after Illinois State SenatorJames Meeks announced his retirement,Harris chose to run to succeed him in the 15th district on a platform of creating economic growth for the district.[11] He won the 2012 primary with a plurality of the vote against two opponents,[12] and ran in the general election unopposed.[13]
As of July 2022,Senator Harris is a member of the following Illinois Senate committees:[14]
(chairman of) Appropriations –Personnel and Procurement Committee (SAPP-SAPP)
Appropriations –Revenue and Finance Committee (SAPP-SARF)
(chairman of) Redistricting –South Cook County (SRED)
Subcommittee on Public Health (SHEA-SHPH)
Thornton Township politics
After the death of longtime Thornton Township Democratic committeeman Frank Zuccarelli,Harris defeated State Representative Thaddeus Jones for the position.[15] Harris is the Democratic nominee for Thornton Township Supervisor (township executive) in the 2025 election,having been nominated in a township Democratic nominating caucus on December 3,2024,defeating the scandal-plagued incumbent supervisor Tiffany Henyard for the nomination.[16] Harris won the four-way race for township supervisor in the consolidated election on April 1,2025,with 74% of the vote cast.[17] He was sworn in on May 19,2025.[18]
Electoral history
While a member of the Illinois Senate,Harris has run for higher office on two occasions. In 2013,Harris ran for the congressional seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr.,[19] but dropped out after two months,endorsing Robin Kelly.[20] In 2015,he announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2016.[21] He would come in third place,losing to Tammy Duckworth,who would go on to win the general election.
Illinois 15th State Senate District Democratic Primary,2012[22]
↑ Veeneman, Drew. "Map of 15th District"(PDF). precinctmaps.com. Archived from the original(PDF) on November 3, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
↑ Myslenski, Skip (September 8, 2001). "Harris starts after all; Walker eager to put newfound depth to use". Chicago Tribune. pp.3 and 7. So had Harris, who grew up in Dixmoor and played for Thornton.
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