Joey Harrington facts for kids
Harrington with the New Orleans Saints in 2008
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 21, 1978 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Portland (OR) Central Catholic | ||||||
| College: | Oregon (1998–2001) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
John Joseph Harrington (born October 21, 1978) is a former American football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. Before joining the NFL, he played college football for the Oregon Ducks.
As a senior at Oregon, he was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. The Detroit Lions then chose him as the third overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. After four seasons with the Lions, he played for the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons. He also spent some time as a backup for the New Orleans Saints.
Contents
Early Life and Family History
Joey Harrington was born and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He went to Central Catholic High School in Portland. During his high school football career, he gained over 4,200 yards. He also scored more than 50 touchdowns by running and passing.
Football runs in Joey's family. His grandfather played quarterback for the University of Portland. His father played quarterback for the University of Oregon. When Joey was born, the famous Oregon Ducks coach Len Casanova even sent his parents a funny letter.
College Football Career
Joey Harrington went to the University of Oregon. He was the starting quarterback for three years on the Oregon Ducks football team. In his final year, he threw for 2,415 yards and 23 touchdowns.
He finished his college career with an impressive record of 25 wins and only 3 losses. This included big wins in bowl games against strong teams like #12 Texas and #3 Colorado. Overall, he completed 512 passes for 6,911 yards and 59 touchdowns. He also ran for 210 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Harrington studied business administration and had good grades. His total offense yards (7,121) rank sixth in the history of the University of Oregon.
Awards and Recognition
In 2001, Harrington finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. This award goes to the most outstanding player in college football. His campaign for the award even included a billboard in Times Square that called him "Joey Heisman."
He received many honors, including being named a first-team All-American. He was also the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Fans gave him the nickname "Captain Comeback." This was because he often led the Oregon Ducks to victory in the final moments of games.
Key College Games
One of Harrington's best college games was the 2002 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. This game was played in Tempe, Arizona. He threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns. He helped the Ducks win 38–16 against Colorado. Harrington was named the offensive player of the game.
His toughest game was the 2000 Civil War game. In that game, he threw five interceptions. The #8 Oregon State team won 23–13 against #6 Oregon.
College Statistics
| Oregon Ducks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | Passing | Rushing | |||||||
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Yds | TD | ||
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 8 | 84 | 158 | 53.2 | 1,180 | 10 | 3 | 133.0 | 30 | 4 |
| 2000 | 12 | 214 | 405 | 52.8 | 2,967 | 22 | 14 | 125.4 | 124 | 7 |
| 2001 | 12 | 214 | 364 | 58.8 | 2,764 | 27 | 6 | 143.8 | 56 | 7 |
| Totals | 34 | 512 | 928 | 55.2 | 6,911 | 59 | 23 | 133.8 | 210 | 18 |
Professional Football Career
Before joining the NFL, Joey Harrington participated in the NFL Combine. This is where college players show off their skills to professional teams.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.80 s | 1.65 s | 2.84 s | 4.21 s | 7.00 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
32 | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions chose Harrington as the third overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. He quickly became the Lions' starting quarterback. In his first year, he threw 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The Lions finished that season with a 3–13 record. He was named the team's Rookie of the Year for 2002.
Harrington's time in Detroit was challenging. He faced difficulties with the team's performance. In 2004, he had his best season with the Lions, throwing for 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The team started strong but only won two more games that season.
In 2005, Harrington was sometimes benched in favor of other quarterbacks. Despite the team's struggles, he remained positive. Because of his upbeat attitude even after losses, some fans and reporters jokingly called him "Joey Blue Skies" or "Joey Sunshine."
Miami Dolphins
After the 2005 season, the Lions traded Harrington to the Miami Dolphins in 2006. He started as a backup quarterback. When the main quarterback got injured, Harrington stepped in. He lost his first three starts but then led Miami to a big win against the previously unbeaten Chicago Bears.
He followed this with four more wins in a row. One of these wins was a 27–10 victory against his former team, the Detroit Lions, on Thanksgiving Day. Harrington played well in that game, throwing for three touchdowns. However, he struggled in later games and was eventually replaced. Overall, he started eleven games for Miami, leading them to a 5–6 record.
Atlanta Falcons
In 2007, Harrington signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He competed to be the backup quarterback. He became the starting quarterback after the team's main quarterback, Michael Vick, was suspended.
Harrington played well in the preseason. In Week 4, he led the Falcons to their first win of the 2007 season. He completed 23 of 29 passes for two touchdowns without any interceptions. The Falcons released Harrington in March 2008 but re-signed him a week later. He was released again in August after the preseason.
New Orleans Saints
Harrington signed with the New Orleans Saints in September 2008. He was a third-string quarterback behind Drew Brees and Mark Brunell. He was released and re-signed a few times due to team injuries.
He was re-signed by the Saints in March 2009 for a one-year deal. However, he was released again in September 2009. After this, Harrington did not sign with another NFL team.
Career Challenges
Many people had high hopes for Harrington when he joined the NFL. Some fans and media even called him a "Savior." However, when he didn't meet these high expectations, some called him a "bust."
Some former NFL quarterbacks, like Troy Aikman and Phil Simms, said that Harrington faced tough situations in Detroit. They believed he didn't have enough support from his team or coaches. Dan Marino also thought Harrington needed better players around him to succeed.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | ||||||||||
| 2002 | DET | 14 | 12 | 215 | 429 | 50.1 | 2,294 | 5.3 | 12 | 16 | 59.9 | ||||||||
| 2003 | DET | 16 | 16 | 309 | 554 | 55.8 | 2,880 | 5.2 | 17 | 22 | 63.9 | ||||||||
| 2004 | DET | 16 | 16 | 274 | 489 | 56.0 | 3,047 | 6.2 | 19 | 12 | 77.5 | ||||||||
| 2005 | DET | 12 | 11 | 188 | 330 | 57.0 | 2,021 | 6.1 | 12 | 12 | 72.0 | ||||||||
| 2006 | MIA | 11 | 11 | 223 | 388 | 57.5 | 2,236 | 5.8 | 12 | 15 | 68.2 | ||||||||
| 2007 | ATL | 12 | 10 | 215 | 348 | 61.8 | 2,215 | 6.4 | 7 | 8 | 77.2 | ||||||||
| 2008 | NO | 0 | 0 | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| Career | 81 | 76 | 1,424 | 2,538 | 56.1 | 14,693 | 5.8 | 79 | 85 | 69.4 | |||||||||
NFL Awards
- FedEx Air Player of the Week – Week 1, 2003
Personal Life
Joey Harrington married Emily Hatten on March 10, 2007. They have two sons, born in 2009 and 2012. Emily is a nurse, and Harrington has talked about opening a medical clinic to help people experiencing homelessness in Portland.
Harrington is also a talented jazz pianist. He has even performed with famous artists like Jason Mraz. He appeared as a guest chef on The Rachael Ray Show in 2008. He is a distant cousin of professional golfer Pádraig Harrington. Joey's brother, Michael, also played quarterback in college.
In 2011, Harrington was in a bicycle accident in Portland, Oregon. He suffered some injuries, including a broken collarbone. After retiring from football, he and his family moved back to Portland. He spent more time with his family and worked with many charities. He also co-owned a restaurant in Portland for a few years.
Broadcasting Career
After his football career, Harrington became a sports commentator. In 2009, he worked as an NFL and college football commentator for Fox Sports Radio. In 2010, he was a commentator for Oregon Ducks football games.
Currently, Harrington is a college football analyst for Fox College Football. He also works part-time as a reporter for KGW Television in Portland, Oregon.
Philanthropy
In 2003, Harrington started the Harrington Family Foundation. This is a nonprofit organization that helps young people with education and activities. His parents, John and Valerie Harrington, manage the foundation.
The foundation began with money from Joey's signing bonus with the Detroit Lions. It also raises money by selling sports items and hosting events. When he had a "Joey Heisman" billboard in New York's Times Square, he cut it up and sold the pieces for charity. All the money from these sales went towards scholarships for the University of Oregon.
See also
- O (gesture), a hand signal made popular by Harrington
