TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is preparing for an emotional trip to Indianapolis this weekend to face his father’s former team, the Indianapolis Colts.
Harrison Jr. said Wednesday that he understands he needs to focus on trying to win Sunday, but playing with his dad’s name, Marvin Harrison Sr., looking down on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in the Colts Ring of Honor will be meaningful.
“It’s going to be a special game for me, for sure,” Harrison Jr. said.
He was 6 years old when his father, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, played his last game for the Colts in 2008. Harrison Sr. asked for his release following that season and later retired without playing another game.
Indianapolis, where Harrison Sr. played for 13 seasons, holds a special place for Harrison Jr., who said he saw his dad “do a lot of great things there.”
“A lot of good memories, good times,” Harrison Jr. said. “Obviously, I was a child, so I didn’t really remember having too much fun outside of just the games. But definitely a lot of memories.”
One of them came after Harrison Sr. retired. When Harrison Jr. was 9, the Colts inducted Harrison Sr. into their ring of honor, and 14 years later, a video that the team showed in the stadium during the ceremony is still a highlight to Harrison Jr.
“That was just a good experience seeing a lot of 88 jerseys, seeing his name in the stadium, so definitely that was a cool experience for me,” Harrison Jr. said.
Like his dad, Harrison Jr. was a first-round draft choice, albeit 28 years later and 15 picks higher. Thus far, their careers have been eerily similar.
Harrison Jr. had 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie last season. His father’s stat line in 1996, his rookie year, was 64 catches for 836 yards and eight touchdowns. Through 22 career games, Harrison Jr. has 82 catches for 1,191 yards and 10 touchdowns. His father had 90 catches for 1,114 yards and 10 touchdowns.
When asked if it was a good thing his numbers were on par were his Hall of Fame father’s, Harrison Jr. hemmed and hawed, saying it’s about perspective.
“Not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing, honestly,” Harrison Jr. said. “But just how the way the world’s been working so far. Hopefully have the same career.”
