Harris Barton
Encyclopedia
Harris Scott Barton is a former American football
offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers
.
. His mother was from a very Orthodox Jewish background in Queens, New York and his father was from a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. They met while attending Emory University
.
He attended Hebrew Academy in Atlanta through the fifth grade, and began playing football at age five. He was county MVP his senior season at Atlanta's Dunwoody High School
, where he also participated in basketball
and wrestling
.
, Oklahoma
, and Notre Dame
, but Harris eventually chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, where he graduated with a 3.3 GPA in Finance.
Harris was a freshman All-American at UNC, starting every game for four years. He played nose-to-nose against William "Refrigerator" Perry
on national television at Clemson
. He was selected to the Associated Press
All-American football player
team that year, being the first Jewish player in 30 years to do so.
in 1987, and the 22nd pick overall.
Harris signed a three-year, $1.3 million contract with the team, and started 10 of 15 games that year and was runner-up to Rookie of the Year
honors. He started every game in his second year, including the Super Bowl
, and was named to various Second Team All-Pros. In his third year, he started all games including the Super Bowl
, and was chosen as a Campbell's Soup All-American.
He retired after the 1998 season.
In March 2011 he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
, Barton was a Managing Partner and a Founder of HRJ Capital, a failed fund of funds
which invested in private equity
, venture capital
, and hedge funds and managed $2.4 billion at its peak in May 2008. In December 2008, the fund was taken over by SVB Financial Group in lieu of $69 million of debt and was later sold in 2009.
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...
offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
Early life
Harris was born in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. His mother was from a very Orthodox Jewish background in Queens, New York and his father was from a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. They met while attending Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
.
He attended Hebrew Academy in Atlanta through the fifth grade, and began playing football at age five. He was county MVP his senior season at Atlanta's Dunwoody High School
Dunwoody High School
Dunwoody High School is a public high school in Dunwoody, an incorporated city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States and is operated by the DeKalb County School System...
, where he also participated in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
.
College football career
He was recruited by over 100 colleges including USCUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, but Harris eventually chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, where he graduated with a 3.3 GPA in Finance.
Harris was a freshman All-American at UNC, starting every game for four years. He played nose-to-nose against William "Refrigerator" Perry
William Perry (American football)
William Perry is a former professional American football player. He is best known for his years as a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. In reference to his large size, he was popularly known as "The Refrigerator" or, abbreviated, "The Fridge".-Life and athletic career:Perry was born in...
on national television at Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
. He was selected to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-American football player
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
team that year, being the first Jewish player in 30 years to do so.
Pro football career
He was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in 1987, and the 22nd pick overall.
Harris signed a three-year, $1.3 million contract with the team, and started 10 of 15 games that year and was runner-up to Rookie of the Year
NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Since 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...
honors. He started every game in his second year, including the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, and was named to various Second Team All-Pros. In his third year, he started all games including the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, and was chosen as a Campbell's Soup All-American.
He retired after the 1998 season.
In March 2011 he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
After football
Along with former teammate Ronnie LottRonnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
, Barton was a Managing Partner and a Founder of HRJ Capital, a failed fund of funds
Fund of funds
A "fund of funds" is an investment strategy of holding a portfolio of other investment funds rather than investing directly in shares, bonds or other securities. This type of investing is often referred to as multi-manager investment...
which invested in private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
, venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
, and hedge funds and managed $2.4 billion at its peak in May 2008. In December 2008, the fund was taken over by SVB Financial Group in lieu of $69 million of debt and was later sold in 2009.