The Chargers will induct Rodney Harrison into their Hall of Fame this season, the team announced Monday.
He becomes the 36th player to receive the organization’s highest honor, and the 44th member overall.
Harrison’s enshrinement is scheduled for Oct. 23, during a halftime ceremony when the Chargers host the Vikings at SoFi Stadium on Thursday Night Football.
He was selected for induction by a vote of the living Chargers Hall of Famers.
“Rodney personified an era of Chargers football defined by physicality, emotion, relentless effort, toughness and grit,” Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in a statement. “For nearly a decade, he gave everything he had to the Chargers, establishing a standard of accountability and setting the bar for competitive greatness. He made an immediate impact his rookie year, helping lead us to an unforgettable AFC Championship victory in Pittsburgh and appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. The fire that burned inside Rodney was the stuff of legend and, as is the case with all the great ones, it never once faded over the course of his career. And as much as he gave of himself on the field, Rodney found a way to give even more to our community, especially in his work with local youth. Inducting Rodney into the Chargers Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to a player who gave this franchise everything he had and more.”
Harrison, who now works for NBC Sports, played 15 seasons in the NFL, including nine with the Chargers after they selected him in the fifth round of the 1994 draft. He totaled 21.5 sacks during his time with the organization, the most in franchise history by a defensive back, and 26 interceptions, which ranks third all-time among Chargers defenders and first among safeties.
Harrison, voted the team’s defensive player of the year four times by his teammates, was named to both the 40th and 50th anniversary Chargers’ all-time teams.
“What I remember most about Rodney is his incredible toughness,” former head coach Bobby Ross said in a statement. “He was a hard-hitting, relentless safety — fearless in every sense of the word. He had all the tools: speed, instincts, and range — but what separated him was that physical edge, that toughness you don’t always see, even among the best. He stood out from day one. On top of that, he was a smart, determined player who always came prepared. He had a great football mind and wasn’t afraid to speak up with ideas to help the team. Rodney was a sharp young man and a tremendous representative of our program — and I’m proud to see him take his rightful place in the Chargers Hall of Fame.”
Harrison has a case for Canton, and his induction into the Chargers Hall of Fame will add another line to his resume.
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