| No. -- Free Agent | |
| Linebacker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: February 25, 1979 | |
| Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois | |
| Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | Weight: 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Northwestern | |
| NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23 | |
| Debuted in 2002 for the Oakland Raiders | |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2008 | |
| Tackles | 481 |
| Sacks | 8.5 |
| Forced fumbles | 4 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Napoleon Bill Harris (born February 25, 1979 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Northwestern and was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Harris has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.
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Harris grew up in Dixmoor, Illinois. He attended Lincoln Elementary School, Rosa L. Parks Middle School, and Thornton Township High School. He was a tri-star athlete and honor student. His father died his junior year of high school.
Harris was an honors student at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois and lettered in football and basketball. In football, he posted 23 sacks, 98 tackles, two fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumbles, two safeties, and one interception and was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Star Publications, Daily Southern, and the Hammond Times. Napoleon also averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds on the #1 basketball team in the country. Harris was a football and basketball teammate of current Free Agent wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.
He played both football and basketball (one year) at Northwestern. His complete college career ranked 11th on Northwestern's all-time tackles list with 334. All-Big Ten Conference as a senior after starting all 11 games at defensive end after moving from outside linebacker and ranked fourth on team in tackles with 78.
Harris was drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft by the Oakland Raiders, the 23rd overall pick. That year he started 13 of 16 regular-season games and all three playoff games for the Super Bowl XXXVII loser Oakland Raiders and was named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie team.
In 2005, Harris was acquired by the Minnesota Vikings as part of blockbuster trade which sent Randy Moss to Oakland for the seventh overall pick and a seventh-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Vikings used the picks to select wide receiver Troy Williamson and cornerback Adrian Ward.
Despite being traded for one of the premier players in the National Football League, Harris did not immediately live up to his potential the following season with the Minnesota Vikings. In that first season with the Vikings, he was hampered with a lingering knee injury and saw limited playing time. However in the second season he finished second on the team with 96 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries in 14 games.
On March 6, 2007, Harris agreed to a six-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Harris previously visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before meeting with Kansas City.[1][2]
The Chiefs released Harris on October 14, 2008.
Just two days after his release from the Chiefs, Harris re-joined the Minnesota Vikings on October 16. Harris started in 5 of the 10 games he played and finished his second stint with the Vikings with 32 tackles and 1 sack, and also scored his first NFL touchdown after returning a fumble 27 yards in week 12 in Jacksonville. Despite a fairly good performance, the Vikings did not hold on to him.
Harris signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders on August 24, 2009 after the team released cornerback Ricky Manning. Harris was released just five days later after reportedly being "out of shape" and "not ready to play."[3]
In June 2006, Napoleon married his high school friend Nicole Bunton (Harris). The couple has one son, Napoleon Harris IV (born February 23, 2008).
He is the cousin of San Diego Chargers defensive tackle Tommie Harris.[4]
In May 2008, Napoleon appeared on The CW Network hit series The Game (U.S. TV series). He played a character by the name of Todd who wanted a stripper sent to his room, and was involved in a custody battle for his son. Todd instantly fell in love with the stripper and hired her for his legal representation in hopes to gaining his son.
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