On Saturday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced their Hall of Honor Class of 2023. The Steelers inducted DE Aaron Smith, OL Gerry “Moon” Mullins, C Ray Mansfield, and OLB James Harrison. Later in the afternoon, Harrison took to his Instagram page to share his feelings on the announcement.
“It’s hard to express how extremely honored I am to be mentioned alongside this group of Steelers Greats,” Harrison wrote. “Truly Blessed. 🙏🏾🖤💛”
Harrison’s path to greatness with Pittsburgh was not a typical one. He was an undrafted free agent in 2002 from Kent State and played one game that season. He bounced around the Steelers’ practice squad, spent time with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe as part of the Baltimore Ravens, then was re-signed ahead of the 2004 season by Pittsburgh.
Harrison played in all 16 games that season, tallied his first career sack in a 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, and even returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 29-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. He would continue to see playing time for the next three seasons but was rarely a starter.
Then in 2007, Harrison started all 16 games, tallied 8.5 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, had 17 quarterback hits, forced seven fumbles, and even had an interception. He was named second-team All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl.
However, it was 2008 that cemented Harrison as one of the greats to put on a Steelers uniform. During the regular season, he posted 16 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, delivered 19 quarterback hits, chipped in a safety, forced seven more fumbles, and recorded another interception. He was named Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pro, and made his second-straight Pro Bowl.
Harrison then capped off the 2008 season with a 100-yard interception return against the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl en route to a 27-23 win.
In all, the man known as “Deebo” finished his 14-year Steelers career with 80.5 sacks, 772 total tackles, 122 tackles for a loss, 142 quarterback hits, 33 forced fumbles, and seven interceptions in the regular season. He added 11 sacks, 82 combined tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 18 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and one unforgettable interception returned for a touchdown in the playoffs. The 80.5 regular-season sacks still stand as a Pittsburgh record as of the start of the 2023 season.
Harrison also played a season with the Cincinnati Bengals and one game with the New England Patriots. In those stints he had four sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, 31 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, and six quarterback hits.
Harrison might find it hard to express his honor at being named to the Hall of Honor, but it is not hard at all for Steelers fans everywhere to recognize just how important Harrison was to Pittsburgh.
