Ed Harmon
Encyclopedia
Edward Charles Harmon is a former American football
linebacker
for the American Football League
's Cincinnati Bengals
in the 1969 AFL Season
.
of Buffalo
, in Western New York
. There, he attended Bishop Gibbons High School. He was known most as a linebacker and fullback
for the University of Louisville
. There, he began as a fullback, a second stringer behind Wayne Patrick
. However, after being deemed "too valuable" to be a second stringer, he was moved to linebacker, and made a name for himself at that position as a hard hitter with ferocious intensity.
, Harmon was drafted by the National Football League
's Dallas Cowboys
with the 16th pick of the 3rd round (71st overall) in the 1968 draft
. Ed spent most of the year on special teams units. The following year Harmon was sent to the Cincinnati Bengals
, where he played 11 games in 1969, his second season. Harmon was voted player of the game in 1969 versus the New York Jets
. Harmon was released the following year and never played football again. He did however play rugby in Chicago
and Louisville
earning a reputation for one of the hardest hitters in that sport.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the 1969 AFL Season
1969 American Football League season
The 1969 American Football League season was the tenth regular season of the American Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger...
.
Early years
Harmon was born in North Tonawanda, a suburbSuburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, in Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
. There, he attended Bishop Gibbons High School. He was known most as a linebacker and fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
for the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
. There, he began as a fullback, a second stringer behind Wayne Patrick
Wayne Patrick
Wayne Allen Patrick was a professional American football running back for five seasons for the Buffalo Bills in both the American Football League and the National Football League. He was born in Gainesville, Florida. He settled in Amherst, a suburb of Buffalo after retiring from football and...
. However, after being deemed "too valuable" to be a second stringer, he was moved to linebacker, and made a name for himself at that position as a hard hitter with ferocious intensity.
Professional career
After earning a reputation for being one of the hardest hitters in all of college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, Harmon was drafted by the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
with the 16th pick of the 3rd round (71st overall) in the 1968 draft
1968 NFL Draft
The 1968 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on January 30–31.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
. Ed spent most of the year on special teams units. The following year Harmon was sent to the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, where he played 11 games in 1969, his second season. Harmon was voted player of the game in 1969 versus the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Harmon was released the following year and never played football again. He did however play rugby in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
earning a reputation for one of the hardest hitters in that sport.