Harry Harrison was the hometown hero of Bay Springs when he was growing up in the late 1960s.
Harrison was a four-sport star athlete who played football, basketball, baseball, and track earning 16 letters.
Harrison was selected high school football All-American and was named to the elite All-Southern team his senior season. He had staggering high school stats, scoring 33 touchdowns his senior year. The school honored him by retiring his jersey.
“Bay Springs was a football crazy town, and you dreamed of playing high school football. I got my start in an open lot next to our house playing with my neighbors. I was fortunate enough to play with several older kids, and I know that helped prepare me when I started playing for the junior high team. I played quarterback on the junior high team in the sixth grade, and when I entered the ninth grade, they moved me up to the high school team,” Harrison said recently.
The future Ole Miss Rebel played free safety on defense all four years but played three different offensive positions in each of his final three years. Bay Springs won 10 games in both of Harrison’s final two seasons. He started off at fullback before moving to quarterback and then as a senior played running back. Harrison played both ways in the Mississippi High School All-Star game that season.
The Cotton Valley Conference MVP was highly recruited but narrowed his choices to Ole Miss and Georgia Tech.
“Bob Tyler was recruiting for the Rebels and Warner Alford for Tech. It was not an easy choice, but, strange as it seemed, Tyler left Ole Miss after my freshman year, and Alford was hired. Hard to say no to Ole Miss with all the Archie (Manning) mania going on,” said Harrison.
Harrison’s Ole Miss career was stellar as he was named to a couple of All-American teams after his senior season. His total of nine interceptions in 1972 was second in the nation that year. During his three varsity seasons, he swiped 16 interceptions, which is third all-time. His sophomore season he was the only Rebel player to play both offense and defense. Harrison was inducted into the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
One Ole Miss “loss” is still etched in Harrison’s memory more than any other. “Our biggest rival game was LSU back in those days. The game was played in 1972 in Baton Rouge, and LSU won, 17-16, with no ticks on the clock when the Tigers scored on a Bert Jones pass.”
Harrison is convinced to this day that time should have expired the previous play when only four seconds remained at the snap. “I don’t believe it’s possible that LSU could take a snap under center, back pedal, stick the ball in the gut of a back for a play-action fake, then throw incomplete all in three seconds. We won the game. I am convinced of that. There’s no way that next to last play could have taken only three seconds,” Harrison said.
Harrison signed with the New Orleans Saints but nagging college injuries ended his pro career.
For the last 20 years, Harrison has been the color analyst for the Rebel football radio broadcast team. In 2002 Ole Miss was looking for an analyst to team with David Kellum. Harrison and three others auditioned, and the rest is history. Harrison had no background in radio. “I guess just a great voice and love for the Rebels got me here. David and I have created great chemistry together,” Harrison said.
