25 Facts About Rodney Harrison

Rodney Scott Harrison was born on December 15,1972 and is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots.

Rodney Harrison was selected in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft by the Chargers, where he spent his first nine seasons, and was a member of the Patriots in his following six.

Rodney Harrison holds the defensive back record for sacks and was the first NFL player to obtain 30 sacks and 30 interceptions.

Rodney Harrison was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2019.

Rodney Harrison went to high school at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois.

Rodney Harrison played college football at Western Illinois University from 1991 to 1993.

Rodney Harrison is the school's record-holder for tackles in a career and tackles in a game.

Rodney Harrison was suspended from the team and elected to enter the NFL draft.

Rodney Harrison was selected in the fifth round of the 1994 draft, by the San Diego Chargers, the same year they made their only Super Bowl to date, which they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

Rodney Harrison became a starting member of the Chargers' 1996 defense, going to two Pro Bowls with the Chargers in 1998 and 2001.

Rodney Harrison set then-career highs with the Chargers in 2000 with 127 tackles and six interceptions; in 2002 he started 13 games and recorded 88 tackles in his final season with the Chargers.

Rodney Harrison was named to the Associated Press' All-Pro team following a 140-tackle and three-sack season in which he started all 16 regular season games.

Rodney Harrison helped New England's defense finish second in the NFL in scoring for 2004.

Rodney Harrison started all sixteen regular season games for the sixth time in his career, holding together a Patriots secondary that was without Ty Law and Tyrone Poole for the majority of the season.

The 2005 season began a string of multiple injuries for the 12th-year safety, with Rodney Harrison's season coming to an end on September 25 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he was hit in the knee by a falling Cedrick Wilson and tore the anterior cruciate, medial collateral, and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee.

Rodney Harrison was placed on the injured reserve list, ending his season.

Slightly over 10 months after his season-ending injury, Rodney Harrison returned to Patriots' practice for the first time on August 7,2006.

Rodney Harrison returned to the Patriots in week 16, but his season was ended the following week in Tennessee after a low block from Bobby Wade injured his right knee.

Rodney Harrison was suspended for the first four games of the 2007 regular season for admitting to federal investigators that he knowingly obtained and used human growth hormone.

Interestingly, Rodney Harrison was able to disengage one of Tyree's hands from the ball, but not both.

On June 3,2009, Rodney Harrison announced his retirement from football to become an analyst for NBC Sports' Football Night in America.

Rodney Harrison was voted the "dirtiest player" in the NFL by his peers according to a 2004 poll conducted by Sports Illustrated.

In 2006, Rodney Harrison topped the "dirtiest player" voting by 361 other NFL players.

Rodney Harrison has been fined and suspended multiple times, and as of 2002, had racked up over $200,000 in fines by the NFL.

Rodney Harrison was the player during a preseason game against the then St Louis Rams who hit Rams QB Trent Green low, resulting in a season-ending knee injury for Green, thrusting back-up and then relatively unknown QB Kurt Warner into the starting position.