Napoleon Harris
Encyclopedia
Napoleon Bill Harris is an American football
linebacker
who is currently a free agent
. He played college football
at Northwestern
and was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders
in the 2002 NFL Draft
.
Harris has also played for the Minnesota Vikings
and Kansas City Chiefs
.
. He attended Lincoln Elementary School, Rosa L. Parks Middle School, and Thornton Township High School. He was a tri-star athlete and honor student. His father died his junior year of high school.
Harris was an honors student at Thornton Township High School
in Harvey, Illinois
and lettered in football
and basketball
. In football, he posted 23 sack
s, 98 tackles
, two fumble
recoveries, 1 forced fumbles, two safeties, and one interception and was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Chicago Tribune
, Chicago Sun-Times
, Star Publications, Daily Southern, and the Hammond Times
. Napoleon also averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds
on the #1 basketball team in the country. Harris was a football and basketball teammate of current Free Agent
wide receiver Antwaan Randle El
.
and basketball (one year) at Northwestern
. His complete college career ranked 11th on Northwestern's all-time tackles list with 334. All-Big Ten Conference
as a senior after starting
all 11 games at defensive end
after moving from outside linebacker and ranked fourth on team in tackles with 78.
, the 23rd overall pick. That year he started 13 of 16 regular-season games and all three playoff games for the Super Bowl XXXVII
loser Oakland Raiders and was named to the Pro Football Weekly
All-Rookie team.
as part of blockbuster trade which sent Randy Moss
to Oakland for the seventh overall pick and a seventh-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft
. The Vikings used the picks to select wide receiver
Troy Williamson
and cornerback
Adrian Ward.
Despite being traded for one of the premier players in the National Football League, Harris did not immediately live up to his potential the following season
with the Minnesota Vikings. In that first season with the Vikings, he was hampered with a lingering knee injury and saw limited playing time. However in the second season he finished second on the team with 96 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries in 14 games.
before meeting with Kansas City.
The Chiefs released Harris on October 14, 2008.
on October 16. Harris started in 5 of the 10 games he played and finished his second stint with the Vikings with 32 tackles and 1 sack, and also scored his first NFL touchdown after returning a fumble 27 yards in week 12 in Jacksonville. Despite a fairly good performance, the Vikings did not hold on to him.
on August 24, 2009 after the team released cornerback
Ricky Manning. Harris was released just five days later after reportedly being "out of shape" and "not ready to play."
He is the cousin of San Diego Chargers
defensive tackle Tommie Harris
.
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...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He played college football
College 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...
at Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
and was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
.
Harris has also played for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
.
Early years
Harris grew up in Dixmoor, IllinoisDixmoor, Illinois
Dixmoor is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census.Dixmoor is adjacent to Harvey, Illinois, and keeps Harvey's east-west numbering system, even though most of the village lies west of Ashland Avenue/Wood Street.-Geography:Dixmoor is located at...
. He attended Lincoln Elementary School, Rosa L. Parks Middle School, and Thornton Township High School. He was a tri-star athlete and honor student. His father died his junior year of high school.
Harris was an honors student at Thornton Township High School
Thornton Township High School
Thornton Township High School, often simply referred to as Thornton is a public high school founded in 1899. The school is located in Harvey, Illinois one of the south suburbs of the city of Chicago, Illinois. The school is one of three schools administered by Thornton Township High Schools...
in Harvey, Illinois
Harvey, Illinois
Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 30,000 at the 2000 census.Harvey is bordered by Dixmoor, Riverdale and Blue Island to the north, Posen and Markham to the west, South Holland, Phoenix, and Dolton to the east, and East Hazel Crest to the...
and lettered in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and 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...
. In football, he posted 23 sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s, 98 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, two fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recoveries, 1 forced fumbles, two safeties, and one interception and was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, Star Publications, Daily Southern, and the Hammond Times
The Times of Northwest Indiana
The Times of Northwest Indiana is a daily newspaper headquartered in Munster, Indiana. The Times is the second largest of Indiana's 76 daily newspapers, The Indianapolis Star being the largest...
. Napoleon also averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
on the #1 basketball team in the country. Harris was a football and basketball teammate of current Free Agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
wide receiver Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...
.
College career
He played both 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...
and basketball (one year) at Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. His complete college career ranked 11th on Northwestern's all-time tackles list with 334. All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
as a senior after starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
all 11 games at defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
after moving from outside linebacker and ranked fourth on team in tackles with 78.
First stint with Raiders
Harris was drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft by the Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the 23rd overall pick. That year he started 13 of 16 regular-season games and all three playoff games for the Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
loser Oakland Raiders and was named to the Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
All-Rookie team.
First stint with Vikings
In 2005, Harris was acquired by the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
as part of blockbuster trade which sent Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
to Oakland for the seventh overall pick and a seventh-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. The Vikings used the picks to select wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Troy Williamson
Troy Williamson
-Minnesota Vikings:The Vikings needed a receiver with deep speed after trading Randy Moss to Oakland, drafting Williamson with the 7th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft...
and cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Adrian Ward.
Despite being traded for one of the premier players in the National Football League, Harris did not immediately live up to his potential the following season
2005 Minnesota Vikings season
2005 was the 45th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 86th regular season of the National Football League.-Offseason:Red McCombs sold the Minnesota Vikings to a group led by Zygi Wilf in May 2005. Wilf was originally going to be a limited partner to Reggie Fowler. However Fowler...
with the Minnesota Vikings. In that first season with the Vikings, he was hampered with a lingering knee injury and saw limited playing time. However in the second season he finished second on the team with 96 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries in 14 games.
Kansas City Chiefs
On March 6, 2007, Harris agreed to a six-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Harris previously visited the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
before meeting with Kansas City.
The Chiefs released Harris on October 14, 2008.
Second stint with Vikings
Just two days after his release from the Chiefs, Harris re-joined the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
on October 16. Harris started in 5 of the 10 games he played and finished his second stint with the Vikings with 32 tackles and 1 sack, and also scored his first NFL touchdown after returning a fumble 27 yards in week 12 in Jacksonville. Despite a fairly good performance, the Vikings did not hold on to him.
Second stint with Raiders
Harris signed a one-year contract with the Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 24, 2009 after the team released cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Ricky Manning. Harris was released just five days later after reportedly being "out of shape" and "not ready to play."
Personal
In June 2006, Napoleon married his high school friend Nicole Bunton (Harris). The couple has one son, Napoleon Harris IV (born February 23, 2008).He is the cousin of San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive tackle Tommie Harris
Tommie Harris
Tommie Harris, Jr. is an American football defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.Harris has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts...
.