Before becoming a Pro Bowler and Super Bowl participant during his long NFL career, Dennis Harrison made a name for himself chasing down SEC opponents.
And a a generation of quarterbacks and running backs learned to rue the reputation of George Peabody College for Teachers, which had played a pivotal role in convincing Harrison to choose Vanderbilt.
Although he was only a freshman in 1974—playing under defensive assistant coach Bill Parcells—Harrison earned defensive MVP honors in that season’s Peach Bowl tie against Texas Tech. His star turn came when he blocked a fourth-quarter field goal that would’ve given Texas Tech the lead. But he also took pride in singlehandedly keeping the Red Raiders out of the end zone late in the first half, stopping three consecutive plays from inside the 5-yard line.
He kept making a difference for the Commodores, capped by recognition as a UPI first-team All-SEC honoree in 1977. He was also a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Invited to play in the Blue-Gray Classic and Hula Bowl all-star games, he was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL draft—the second-highest selection for any Commodore during the 1970s.
Moving from tackle to end in the pros, he was present as a rookie for one of the most famous plays in NFL history. With his team trailing the New York Giants 17-12 late in the fourth quarter, Harrison watched as Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik, instead of taking a knee to run out the clock, fumbled an attempted hand-off. Eagles defensive back Herm Edwards returned the fumble for a game-winning touchdown in the “Miracle at the Meadowlands.”
Harrison played 10 NFL seasons and recorded double-digit sacks in three consecutive seasons with the Eagles from 1982 to 1984. He played in Super Bowl XV in 1981 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1982.
Two of his children were first-round selections in professional basketball, son David in the NBA and daughter Isabelle in the WNBA. Another daughter, Dorie, played basketball at Kentucky.
Making good on the interest in Peabody that drew him to Vanderbilt, Harrison went into education after his NFL career. He is a longtime teacher and coach at Brentwood Middle School in Brentwood, Tennessee, coaching everything from football to track, basketball and wrestling. Before Brentwood, he also coached football at Vanderbilt, Franklin Road Academy and Page High School.
“A friend of mine told me I was one of the few people who always said what I wanted to do and am now doing it,” Harrison told the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal in 2018. “I’m doing it at a great place at Brentwood Middle. I’m happy with that. I’m also social minister at [Greater St. John Missionary Baptist]. I get the best of both worlds.”
