Napoleon Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Napoleon Harris
Harris with the Kansas City Chiefs, 2008
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2013
Preceded by	James T. Meeks
Personal details
Born	Napoleon Bill Harris (1979-02-25) February 25, 1979 (age 46) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Northwestern University (BA)
Football career
No. 58, 50, 99
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:	Thornton Township (IL)
College:	Northwestern
NFL Draft:	2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2002–2004) Minnesota Vikings (2005–2006) Kansas City Chiefs (2007) Minnesota Vikings (2008) Oakland Raiders (2009)*
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2002) 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (2000, 2001)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 484 Sacks: 8.5 Forced fumbles: 4 Fumble recoveries: 1 Interceptions: 4 Defensive touchdowns: 1

Napoleon Bill Harris III (born February 25, 1979) is an American politician and former professional football player. He has been a member of the Illinois Senate since 2013. He represents the 15th district, which covers several towns in Illinois.

Before becoming a politician, Napoleon Harris played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for seven seasons with teams like the Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Early Life and School Sports

Napoleon Harris grew up in Dixmoor, Illinois. He went to Lincoln Elementary School and Rosa L. Parks Middle School. He then attended Thornton Township High School. He was a great student and played three different sports. Sadly, his father passed away when Napoleon was in his junior year of high school.

At Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois, he was an honors student. He earned special recognition in both football and basketball. In football, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year by several newspapers. He made 23 sacks, 98 tackles, and had two fumble recoveries. In basketball, he was part of the top-ranked team in the country. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Harris later went to Northwestern University. He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats. For one year, he also played basketball. He finished his college football career with 334 tackles, which is 11th all-time at Northwestern. He was also named All-Big Ten Conference as a senior.

Playing in the NFL

Napoleon Harris was chosen in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. The Oakland Raiders picked him as the 23rd player overall. In his first year, he started 13 games and played in the Super Bowl XXXVII with the Raiders. He was named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie team.

In 2005, Harris joined the Minnesota Vikings. This happened as part of a big trade that sent star player Randy Moss to Oakland. Even though he was part of a major trade, a knee injury limited his playing time in his first year with the Vikings. However, in his second season, he played much better. He finished second on the team with 96 tackles and had 3 interceptions.

On March 6, 2007, Harris signed a six-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was released by the Chiefs in October 2008. Just two days later, he went back to play for the Minnesota Vikings. In this second time with the Vikings, he started 5 of 10 games. He also scored his first NFL touchdown by returning a fumble 27 yards. Even with a good performance, the Vikings did not keep him.

In August 2009, Harris signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders again. However, he was released just five days later.

Life After Football

After his NFL career, Napoleon Harris focused on his family and business. He is married and has two children. He became the owner of two Beggars Pizza restaurants.

Serving in the Illinois Senate

In 2011, Illinois State Senator James Meeks decided to retire. Napoleon Harris chose to run for his seat in the 15th district. He wanted to help create more jobs and economic growth in the area. He won the primary election in 2012 and then ran unopposed in the general election. This meant he was the only candidate, so he easily won the seat.

As an Illinois State Senator, Harris works on many important issues. He is involved in several committees that deal with money, business, and public services. For example, he is the chairman of the Appropriations - Personnel and Procurement Committee and the Insurance Committee. These committees help decide how the state's money is spent and how different services are managed.

Local Politics in Thornton Township

Napoleon Harris also became involved in local politics in Thornton Township. After the death of a long-time local leader, Frank Zuccarelli, Harris ran for and won the position of Democratic committeeman.

In December 2024, Harris was chosen as the Democratic candidate for Thornton Township Supervisor. This means he will run to be the main leader of the township in the 2025 election.

Running for Higher Office

While serving in the Illinois Senate, Napoleon Harris has also tried to run for higher political offices.

In 2013, he ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress. This seat became open when Jesse Jackson, Jr. left. However, Harris decided to drop out of the race after two months and supported another candidate, Robin Kelly.

In 2015, he announced he would run for the U.S. Senate in 2016. He finished in third place in the Democratic primary election. Tammy Duckworth won that election and went on to become a U.S. Senator.