Harry Carson

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Harold Donald Carson (born November 26, 1953 in Florence, South Carolina) is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire career for the New York Giants in the NFL (1976-1988). Originally from South Carolina, he played at Wilson High School and later at McClenaghan High School, from which he graduated. Carson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

[edit] College career

Before his NFL career, Carson played college football at South Carolina State University from 1972-1975, not missing a single game in all 4 years. He became the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player to win 2 consecutive defensive player of the year honors, and assisted the Bulldogs to 2 consecutive conference championships. In 1975, he was a first team selection on the College Football All-America Team and set school records with 117 tackles and 17 sacks. With Carson as their captain, the Bulldogs defense recorded 6 shutouts in 1975, and held their opponents to just 29 points, an NCAA record for a 10 game season. In 2002, Carson was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

[edit] NFL career

After his college career, Carson was drafted in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Giants. He spent all of his 13 seasons with them, leading the team in tackles for 5 of the seasons, and was their captain for 10 of those seasons. Carson was a member of the Crunch Bunch, a team of fierce linebackers composed of Carson, Brad Van Pelt, Brian Kelley, and Lawrence Taylor. The group is widely considered one of the best defensive combos in NFL history. He also made 9 Pro Bowl appearances (1978-1979, 1981-1987) in his career. In the 1980s, he was joined by linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks, giving the Giants one of the most feared and respected group of linebackers in the NFL. He retired at the end of the 1988 season, two years after assisting the franchise to its first Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXI. He was a major factor in the game, finishing it with 7 tackles.

Carson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. His selection came after years of outspoken criticism of the Hall of Fame selection process. Carson's principal criticism of the process was that the vote is done by the media, not players and coaches. Carson went so far as to ask to have his name taken off the ballot in protest. Despite this, the reaction to his induction into the Hall was "well-deserved".

Carson was one of the first practitioners of the "Gatorade Shower" which is when the coach of the winning team is doused with a cooler of Gatorade by some of the players following a win. The practice was started by his teammate Jim Burt in 1985 ^[1] as Carson recounted in his 1987 book Point of Attack:The Defense Strikes Back. When Bill Parcells had Harry Carson as a player with the Giants, he would have him at his side during the singing of the national anthem for good luck.

In his 13 seasons, Carson intercepted 11 passes and returned them for 212 yards. He also recovered 14 fumbles, returning them for 36 yards and a touchdown. Officially, he recorded 8 quarterback sacks (sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982) but his total is 19 sacks when the 1976-81 seasons are included.

[edit] After Football

Carson remains in close involvement with the Giants. He has also had a successful career in sports broadcasting and even has his own company, "Harry Carson Inc." which deals mainly in sports consulting and promotions. He currently co-hosts Giants Game Plan on FOX with Bob Papa.

Despite previously stating that due to his frustration at not being elected he wanted his name removed from the ballot,^[2] when elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006 Carson appeared and gave an induction speech. At this time he said that he was more upset that late Giants owner Wellington Mara got upset over his being passed over each year. Once elected, he said he knew he had to accept and give an acceptance speech because disrespecting the wishes of Mara who so badly wanted to see him enshined, "was not an option."

[edit] See also

• History of the New York Giants (1979-1993)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
• College Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
• Harry Carson at the Open Directory Project