Pittsburgh Steelers OLB James Harrison almost never had the career with the Pittsburgh Steelers that landed him in the team’s Hall of Honor, as Harrison came close to hanging up his cleats before he got the opportunity. During a sitdown with Rob King for Steelers.com, Harrison recalled almost retiring after the Baltimore Ravens released him following his stint in NFL Europe.
“Between 2002 and 2003, I was sent to NFL Europe. So I went to NFL Europe, I came back from NFL Europe, Baltimore had actually sent me to NFL Europe, and when I came back, they released me. So that’s about Year 2, so it’s 2002, 2003, I’ve been cut, 4-5 times now,” Harrison said. “I’m just sitting there waiting, and I’m like, you know what, if I don’t get picked up, then was just not meant to be and I’m gonna move on, get a regular job like everyone else, work my 40-50 hours a week, and call it a day. That year, Clark Haggans, he breaks his hand about a week before training camp, and the rest is history, so to speak.”
It was June 17, 2004, when Harrison was let go by the Ravens, and Harrison, who had already been waived or released four times by the Steelers, was brought back by the team on July 26, 2004. As he said, the rest is history. Harrison played in all 16 games in 2004 and developed into a Pro Bowler just three seasons later in 2007.
He’s responsible for one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history with his 100-yard interception return touchdown at the end of the first half in Super Bowl XLIII and was a major part of Pittsburgh’s defensive revitalization that led to Super Bowl titles in 2005 and 2008. He was recently inducted into the team’s Hall of Honor, and it’s all because Harrison decided to stick with football just a little bit longer and seized his opportunity with the Steelers when it came.
Life in the NFL for an undrafted player who’s bouncing from roster to roster, practice squad to practice squad, and in Harrison’s case, country to country can’t be a lot of fun. But Harrison stuck with his dream and didn’t quit even when it seemed highly unlikely he’d be an impact player in the NFL. That trust in himself led him to become an AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and one of the most highly regarded players in recent Steelers history.
The Steelers obviously saw something in Harrison that led them to keep bringing him back. He finally was able to prove what he could do after the Ravens released him, and the Steelers organization is pretty happy that was the case.
