Kyle Harrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kyle Harrison

Born	(1983-03-12) March 12, 1983 (age 42) Baltimore, MD
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	205 pounds (93 kg)
Shoots	Right
Position	Midfielder
NCAA team	Johns Hopkins University (2005)
MLL draft	1st overall, 2005 New Jersey Pride
MLL teams	New Jersey Pride Los Angeles Riptide Denver Outlaws Ohio Machine
PLL teams	Redwoods L.C.
Pro career	2005–2021
Nickname	K18
Career highlights
PLL: 2x Brendan Looney Leadership Award 2x All Star MLL: 7x All Star 2017 MLL Championship 2014 Ohio Machine Team MVP NCAA: 2016 Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee 2005 Tewaaraton Award 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship 2005 Undefeated Season (16-0) 2x McLaughlin Award (2005, 2004) 3x Top 5 Tewaaraton Finalist (2004, 2003) 2003 2nd-Team All-American Other: Baltimore Hall of Fame Induction (2016)
Medal record Representing  United States Men's lacrosse World Lacrosse Championship Runner-up 2006 London Runner-up 2014 Denver

Kyle Harrison (born March 12, 1983) is an American retired professional lacrosse player. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Kyle Harrison played lacrosse for 17 years as a professional. He also played for the United States men's national lacrosse team twice.

He is known as a lacrosse legend and one of the most recognizable players ever. He has been a role model and an ambassador for the sport. Kyle Harrison is also a founder of the Black Lacrosse Alliance. This group works to make lacrosse more welcoming and diverse for new players.

Early Life and Lacrosse Beginnings

Kyle M. Harrison was born on March 12, 1983. His parents are Miles and Wanda Harrison. He started playing lacrosse at age three in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Miles Harrison, played college lacrosse at Morgan State University. This was the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to have a lacrosse team in the NCAA.

Kyle wears the number 18, just like his father did when he played. Even though his father played lacrosse, Kyle was never forced to play. Growing up, his favorite athlete was Michael Jordan. Kyle went to the Friends School of Baltimore from a young age until he graduated high school in 2001. His cousins, Maxxwell Davis and Marrio Davis, also went to Friends School and played college lacrosse.

High School Sports Career

Kyle Harrison attended the Friends School of Baltimore for high school. He was a talented athlete in three sports: soccer, basketball, and lacrosse.

• In soccer, he won one MIAA (Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association) title. He was also named to the all-conference team.
• In basketball, he won two MIAA titles and earned all-conference honors.
• In lacrosse, he helped his team win three MIAA B-Conference Championships in a row (1997, 1998, and 1999). He was named All-America, all-metro, and all-state in lacrosse.

Kyle played as a midfielder and often took face-offs. In his senior year, he scored 24 goals and made 28 assists, getting 52 points. He also picked up over 100 ground balls. After doing well at recruiting camps, he was chosen to play NCAA Division 1 lacrosse for Johns Hopkins University. He played with his best friend, Benson Erwin, whom he had known since second grade. They won three lacrosse championships together in high school. They both continued to play lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University after graduating in 2001.

College Lacrosse Career

Kyle Harrison played Division 1 men's lacrosse for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team from 2002 to 2005. His coach was Dave Pietramala. In 2016, Kyle was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame. He was named an All-American three times. He also won the McLaughlin Award twice as the nation's top midfielder. In 2005, he received the Tewaaraton Award as the National Player of the Year.

Freshman Year (2002)

In his first year at Hopkins, Kyle started all 14 games as a midfielder. He scored 9 goals and had 4 assists, totaling 13 points. He was also the team's main face-off player, winning 120 out of 190 face-offs (63.2%). He picked up 85 ground balls, which was 12th highest in the nation. In the first game of the season, he scored two goals in a big win against Princeton, who were the national champions.

Sophomore Year (2003)

During his second year, Kyle was one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Award. He was the only sophomore among them. He also earned Second Team All-American honors. He had a 20-game streak where he scored points. He finished eighth in the nation for face-off winning percentage (62.6%). He led his team with 83 ground balls.

Junior Year (2004)

In his junior year, Kyle won the McLaughlin Award as the nation's best midfielder. He was also a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award again and a First Team All-American. He scored a career-high 33 points, with 26 goals and 7 assists. Three of his goals were game-winners.

Senior Year (2005)

In his final year at Hopkins, Kyle was a co-captain. He led the team to a perfect 16-0 season, winning the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. He received the Tewaaraton Award, becoming the first minority player to win it. He also won the McLaughlin Award for the second time and was a First Team All-American again. That season, he scored 24 goals and 20 assists, for 44 points. Kyle also played with freshman Paul Rabil on this championship team.

Johns Hopkins Hall of Fame

Kyle Harrison was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. He is still the only Johns Hopkins player to win the Tewaaraton Award. During his college career, he scored 81 goals and 45 assists, for a total of 126 points. He ranks third in school history for face-off win percentage (61.1%). He is also one of only 11 players in school history with over 300 career ground balls.

Professional Lacrosse Career

Kyle Harrison had a long and successful professional lacrosse career from 2005 to 2021. He played in both the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).

Major League Lacrosse (MLL)

Kyle Harrison was the very first player chosen in the 2005 MLL draft. He played for the New Jersey Pride from 2005 to 2007. He was an MLL All-Star in 2005 and 2006. In 2008, he played for the Los Angeles Riptide and helped them reach the playoffs. In 2009, he played for the Denver Outlaws.

After a break to help start the LXM Pro Tour, Kyle returned to the MLL in 2014. He played for the Ohio Machine from 2014 to 2018. In 2014, he was named the Ohio Machine's Most Valuable Player (MVP). He led the Ohio Machine to win the MLL Championship in 2017. Overall, he was an MLL All-Star seven times.

Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)

From 2019 to 2021, Kyle Harrison was a captain for the Redwoods Lacrosse Club in the Premier Lacrosse League. He won the PLL Brendan Looney Leadership Award in 2019 and 2021. He was also chosen as a PLL All-Star in 2019 and 2021. Today, he works as the PLL Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion.

World Lacrosse Championship

Kyle Harrison played for the United States men's national lacrosse team twice in the World Lacrosse Championship.

• In 2006, he was a midfielder on the U.S. team that reached the final round but lost to Canada.
• In 2014, he was a defensive midfielder on the U.S. team that also reached the final round but lost to Canada.

Retirement

Kyle Harrison announced his retirement from professional lacrosse in 2021. The 2021 season was his last.

Sponsorships and Partnerships

Kyle Harrison has had important partnerships throughout his career.

• He has a long-standing contract with STX for his "K18" equipment line. This gear is used by many college lacrosse programs. This partnership, which started in 2005, is the longest-running contract in lacrosse history.
• He also had a sponsorship with Nike for sportswear and lacrosse apparel.
• In 2013, Beats Electronics created custom headphones for a few famous people, including Kyle Harrison. His headphones had special designs like his "K18" logo, "16-0" (for his undefeated 2005 college team), and "Finish Strong."

Career Statistics

PLL Statistics

GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted

MLL Statistics

NCAA Statistics

High School Statistics

Awards and Honors

Kyle Harrison has received many awards throughout his career:

• PLL:
  • 2x Brendan Looney Leadership Award
  • 2x All-Star
• MLL:
  • 7x All-Star
  • 2017 MLL Championship
  • 2014 Ohio Machine Team MVP
• NCAA:
  • 2016 Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2005 Tewaaraton Award (National Player of the Year)
  • 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
  • 2005 Undefeated Season (16-0)
  • 2x McLaughlin Award (2005, 2004) (Nation's Top Midfielder)
  • 3x Top 5 Tewaaraton Finalist (2004, 2003)
  • 2003 2nd-Team All-American
• Other:
  • Baltimore Hall of Fame Induction (2016)

Personal Life

Kyle Harrison is married to Meredith. They have two children, Brooke and Smith.