I still remember the first time I truly took notice of the talent of Marvin Harrison. It was his only season with Donavan McNabb at college with the Syracuse Orange. Marvin had finally seemed to have a quarterback who mirrored his considerable talent. They connected 56 times for 1,131 yards at over 20 yards per attempt with 8 touchdowns in 1995. Overall, Marvin finished with 2,718 career receiving yards and finished second in school history with Rob Moore receiving 20 touchdowns. He never seemed that fast or physical but he always made plays which is what all quarterbacks want from their wideouts.
He was drafted nineteenth in the 1996 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Just like in college, Marvin only flourished after being paired with a quarterback who could push Marvin to be the best version of himself on the football field. This happened after the Colts used their first pick in 1998 on Tennessee’s Peyton Manning. They came with a certain level of pedigree as he was responsible for a Tennessee school record of 89 touchdown passes, the single-game record of 523 yards passing, and all told, set over 33 school records, seven SEC records, and two NCAA passing records during his stellar Tennessee career where he won 39 of his 45 games as the starting quarterback. Their connection became lethal in 1999 when Peyton found Marvin 115 times for over 1,663 yards at 14.5 yards per catch – which was the best per reception number Marvin would have in his career.
Marvin went on to have 1102 receptions in a 13-year career. He scored 128 touchdowns and caught 14,580 yards at 13.2 yards-per-catch. Marvin also had the single-season record for catches with 143, which he set in 2002, this was 20 catches more than Herman Moore’s old record and equated to more than 1700 yards. He was invited to the Pro Bowl 8 times and was a First team All-Pro 3 times and a Second All-Pro 5 times. Truly a hall of fame career.
Unfortunately, Marvin was forced to retire after a spate of injuries starting with an ankle injury that limited him for most of the 2008–2009 season.
Despite being at such a high-profile position – starting wide receiver on an NFL team, a position that is known for its verbosity- many never heard Marvin speak until his Hall of Fame speech in 2016. He had a quiet mystique that went along with his public persona. So much so that the internet has decided that directly using his name online would be tantamount to folly – google Harvin Marrison if you are unsure about the statement I just made. But sticking primarily to sports, there are but so many facts and tidbits about Marvin Harrison that could be found about a man who did most of his talking on field-making plays. A few which will be highlighted below
5 Things The Average Fan Would Not Know About Marvin Harrison
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