James Harrison: The father figure who believes in the value of football and the lessons it taught him
The seemingly ever-intimidating Deebo is also a loving father, who knew?
James Harrison is one of the most feared linebackers currently in the NFL, which is a long way from where his career began. As an undrafted free agent out of Kent State, he was cut four times in two years by three different teams before he caught on with the Steelers in 2004.
Harrison’s unyielding work ethic has carried him through his still active 14-year professional football career that includes two Super Bowl victories (XL and XLIII), five Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro selections and the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008.
Oh, and he had a 100-yard interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, which constitutes the longest interception return in Super Bowl history.
Nothing in his NFL career has been handed to the intense linebacker and yet he has encountered tremendous success, which is a result of a highly disciplined work ethic.
Former Steelers and current Jets defensive tackle Steve McLendon had a front row seat to witness the unrelenting discipline while a teammate of Harrison’s.
“Sun up to sun down. He's the first one in, last one to leave. He trains like he plays. He works like he plays. His work shows, man. I take my hat off to a guy that, at his age, continues to play, not just at a high level, but an extremely high level," McLendon said to NJ.com.
The unmatched level of discipline that Harrison embodies was shaped through football. In his early years, immaturity plagued Harrison throughout his eye-popping high school career, which landed him in legal troubles that precipitated powerhouse Division I programs (such as Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska) to rescind scholarship offers.
Ultimately, even though his physical ability would normally have football programs crawling over each other to offer a scholarship, he did not receive any offers and was forced to pay his own way through Kent State.
Harrison’s path to NFL success was far longer and more difficult than the majority of his professional peers. His longevity and success are the embodiment of hard work, determination and discipline.
As a father of two young boys, Harrison certainly recognizes the valuable lessons football taught him and hopes they too can learn similar lessons that carry over into life. Even still, Harrison is not forcing his children to play football.
“I’m not putting any pressure on my boys to play tackle football. I’m also not telling them that they can’t play. I want them to decide what they want to do. I want them to decide what they want to do, so I’ve tried to expose them to other sports. Right now, their interests are in karate, track and flag football,”Harrison wrote for USA Today.
He has gone out of his way to expose his children to a litany of sports, yet they are singularly drawn to the gridiron. If, and when, his children do play the sport, his main concern is not with injuries but ensuring they are properly coached.
“My biggest piece of advice to parents thinking about getting their kids in tackle football is to ask other parents with kids in the program what they think about the coaches. The main thing to make sure of is that the coaches have the kids’ best interests at heart,” Harrison wrote for USA Today.
Former NFL defensive linemen and current head coach for the Solon High School (Iowa), Aaron Kampman agreed with Harrison’s sentiments when recently discussing whether his young boys would play football.
"If my children (including three boys) do not want to play football, I'm totally cool with that. But I also know that football in particular is a wonderful opportunity -- if it's coached right -- to teach them lessons that will help them become the men that they're capable of being…We want to develop them to have strong minds, strong hearts, so they can have strong bodies as well,"Kampman told ABC News.
As a parent, Harrison is rightfully concerned with ensuring his children understand that success is the result of hard work, determination and discipline – attributes that football fosters. After recent events in August, it is safe to say the Harrison boys know that nothing in life is going to be handed to them.
Harrison arrived home over the summer to find two participation trophies that his sons received for playing sports. He was not amused and took to social media to explain why he was returning the trophies:
A photo posted by James Harrison (@jhharrison92) on
It may sound like a harsh reaction to some parents, but Harrison truly believes that anything gained in life is earned. It is the only way he succeeded as a professional athlete.
It is a lesson that he learned through football.
One easy way for kids to experience life-lessons while learning the fundamentals of the game is through flag football.
Both players are in consensus when it comes to flag version of the sport. Harrison’s young boys are already playing flag football and Kampman is a proponent of this introduction to the sport. His belief in flag football drove him to partner with a local league that he now runs and coaches in.
"We lose games, but I could care less," Kampman said. "Because at the end of the year, our team has had fun, it's enjoyable, and we're teaching lessons through it."
Kampman’s former teammate in Green Bay, Jordy Nelson, has similar feelings involving his children playing flag football.
“…you teach kids to break down, keep your head up, be on balance. Try to get them to pull a flag from someone's hip, it's something that is going to take being in full control of your body, and knowing what your body is doing and telling it what to do, instead of just being the bigger kid who can fly around and blow somebody up because you're bigger and faster than they are,"Nelson told ABC News.
Ultimately, football is a physical sport that provides lessons that are applicable throughout life, lessons that may not otherwise be gleaned from other sports.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say.
Harrison forged his discipline through football and is an incredible father-figure to his two children, so much so that even current NFL players look up to him.
“He outworks everybody. Every young guy should look up to him like I do. I looked up to him in Pittsburgh. I used to get up early and get into the facility just to watch him. That's all I can say about the man." McLendon said to NJ.com.
Photo courtesy of Steelers.com