COLTS

Marvin Harrison's work ethic rewarded

Stephen Holder
IndyStar

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Marvin Harrison vividly remembers the day a young, tall and lanky quarterback walked through the door. He was suspect, as the ever-guarded Harrison tends to be about most people who cross his path.

But Peyton Manning earned Harrison’s respect right there on the spot. Together, they went on to become one of the most prolific quarterback-wide receiver combinations in NFL history.

“I still remember the first day he came in. I didn’t know anything about Peyton,” said Harrison, the newly-elected Pro Football Hall of Fame member said while taking a break from watching Super Bowl 50 from a suite at Levi’s Stadium.

“But the first day of practice, I saw how he was and the determination on his face and the way he was on the field. I said, ‘Oh, sh--, he wants to be good!’ After that first day of practice, he was ready to do what he had to do to get that team where it needed to be.”

They went on to practically become one, able to glean one another’s thoughts without saying nary a word. They worked and worked and worked.

Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy achieve football immortality

As such, Manning had no bigger fan inside the stadium’s confines than Harrison. Manning was wearing the Denver Broncos’ blue, white and orange, but he’s still an Indianapolis Colt to Harrison. The two had a “short and sweet” exchange before kickoff, and Harrison told Manning to end one of the most memorable weekends in Colts history in fitting fashion.

“I told him, today we need the trifecta,” Harrison said. “You have myself and you have (Tony) Dungy (in the Hall of Fame). We need to top it off and get the trifecta for the city of Indianapolis this weekend, even though he’s playing for Denver. It would mean a lot for me and my family and the city. So, I told him he needed to make that trifecta happen. It was short and sweet.”

Sunday was about Manning to a great degree, but Saturday was about Harrison. That’s when he was elected to the Hall, an exclamation point to a phenomenal career that in many ways might never be matched. He hustled to the West Coast and arrived Sunday, taking in the game from a suite where the other selections, including former coach Dungy, reveled in their distinguished honor.

Harrison, from all accounts, is ecstatic about earning his permanent place in history. But he said he was at peace with his achievements – and they are many.

“I didn’t give it too much thought,” Harrison said. “Once your playing days are over, it’s over. I accomplished what I accomplished on the field and helped bring the city of Indianapolis a Super Bowl, got a new stadium. With all Mr. Irsay has done for me and all that the fans have done for me, I wasn’t too worried about the Hall of Fame.

“The job was done.”

That time Marvin Harrison dusted Deion Sanders

But the aforementioned accomplishments are what produced that Hall of Fame honor. The 14,580 receiving yards, 128 touchdowns, eight Pro Bowls, 1,102 receptions – those are the very definition of Hall of Fame numbers.

But they didn’t happen by accident. They were a result of the work Harrison made his calling card. The effort level that was matched only by that skinny quarterback who walked through the door in 1998.

“It’s always a blessing,” Harrison said, “to have a compliment to the kind of work ethic you bring to the football field.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.