Former Pittsburgh Steelers OLB James Harrison was announced as a 2023 inductee into the team’s Hall of Honor today, and during a media session after the announcement, Steelers owner Art Rooney II reflected on Harrison getting his start in Pittsburgh.
“You know, obviously, we didn’t know what we had. He was raw. James was raw when he first got here, no doubt about it. You know, had some World League (experience), I think they called it the World League in those days,” Rooney said. “He played over there for a little while, but it is one of those funny things about football that you never know until a guy gets in there when the lights are on. And thank god Joey got in that fight in Cleveland and James got his opportunity.”
Harrison bounced around the league as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State, getting cut by the Steelers and Ravens and finding himself in NFL Europe during the 2003 season. While he did play a game with the Steelers in 2002, he was raw and didn’t show enough to stick on the roster. But prior to the 2004 season, after getting cut by Baltimore, Harrison re-upped with Pittsburgh, made the roster, and Joey Porter got into a fight pregame Week Nine, leading to Harrison getting his first career start.
He made the most of his opportunity, with six tackles and a sack, the first of his career, and from there, the rest is history. Harrison won two Super Bowls with the Steelers, was the 2008 AP Defensive Player of the Year, and now a Steelers Hall of Honor inductee.
While his tenure with the team wasn’t without controversy, if it wasn’t for Harrison, the Steelers probably don’t win Super Bowl XLIII. He was also one of the better defenders in the league during his time in Pittsburgh, and his career could’ve gone a completely different direction if Joey Porter didn’t fight William Green.
Harrison finished his Pittsburgh tenure with 80.5 of his 84.5 career sacks and was a four-time All-Pro in Pittsburgh. His 100-yard interception return touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII is one of the greatest plays in not just Super Bowl history but NFL history, and for all he did for the Steelers, he’s going to be immortalized in the Hall of Honor.
Harrison’s career could’ve gone in a very different direction, but despite cutting him a few times early in his career, Pittsburgh clearly saw something in Harrison. Once it all clicked, he became one of the most dominant players in the league and a team legend. His place in the Hall of Honor is well-deserved, and it’s going to be a fun game in Week Eight against Jacksonville when the 2023 Hall of Honor class is inducted.
