On the field, Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison was the personification of tough. Strong. Physical. Forever a chip on his broad shoulders. But with his career long over and a chance to reflect Saturday night before Sunday’s official induction into the team’s Hall of Honor, Harrison couldn’t help but get a little choked up.
As tweeted by the team, here’s a snippet of Harrison’s speech, where he had to hold back some tears as he thanked the franchise and all those who came before him. The audio is a little tough to hear so we’ve transcribed it below.
“Guys who set the standard for what a Pittsburgh Steeler was to become known for, known as,” Harrison said. “Guys like Joe Greene, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert. Guys who set the definition of what a Pittsburgh Steeler is. It’s unbelievable. I just want to thank those guys for leading the way and setting that standard.
“It motivated me and other guys to work as hard as you could and do whatever you could to hopefully one day people would say those kinds of things. That James Harrison was a Pittsburgh Steeler. And to stand up here [long pause] right now, at this podium, and be put into that group of guys. I don’t have the words to adequately express how I feel.”
(Ed Note: the team’s tweet has now been deleted but we still have the transcription above).
Harrison is now enshrined into Steelers’ greatness with the players he mentioned who came before him. Truly someone capable of playing in any era, Harrison was one of the pillars of those great 2000s Steelers’ defenses, a unit that won the team’s sixth and most recent Lombardi Trophy.
His story is a unique one. An undrafted free agent who admits he didn’t have the best attitude coming into the league. He bounced on and off the Steelers’ roster, spent time with rival Baltimore, and ended up playing for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. He made it back to Pittsburgh, carving out a role on special teams, and getting his first start when Joey Porter Sr. got thrown out of a game against the Browns before kickoff. It took until he was 29 to become a full-time starter but he didn’t look back. In 2008, he became the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year with a historically good season, finishing with 16 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and an interception, the only player in NFL history with such a stat line.
Harrison went on to become a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Above all, he became a Super Bowl champion and made one of the game’s most iconic plays, dropping into coverage (even when it wasn’t his assignment) to intercept Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and weaving his way 100 yards the other way for a touchdown before halftime.
This moment also cements that there’s no bad blood between Harrison and the franchise. The two split under less-than-stellar terms, Harrison unhappy with his lack of playing time behind T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree in 2017 and essentially forcing his release, signing with the New England Patriots for his final NFL season. That all seems to be water under the bridge.
Harrison is one of four Steelers being honored this weekend, including during Saturday night’s dinner and during halftime of Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The others are DE Aaron Smith, C Ray Mansfield, and OG Gerry ‘Moon’ Mullins.
