James Harrison is among the four players the Pittsburgh Steelers will be inducting into the club's Hall of Honor in 2023, the team announced Saturday as part of Back Together Weekend celebrations.
Joining Harrison in this year’s class are three other Super Bowl champions: Center Ray Mansfield, guard Gerry Mullins and defensive end Aaron Smith.
Harrison, a product of Kent State, started his improbable NFL career as an undrafted rookie in 2002, working his way up to the active roster and eventually becoming one of the greatest pass rushers Pittsburgh has ever seen.
In his 15 years in the league, Harrison earned five Pro Bowl nods and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2008 season, in which he also won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers and created one of the most memorable plays in the game's history with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as the final seconds of the first half ticked down.
Harrison finished his 15-year career as the Steelers' all-time leader in sacks (80.5).
Mansfield played 13 seasons with the Steelers from 1964-76 and took home two Lombardi trophies, and his teammate on the offensive line Mullins played on all four of Pittsburgh’s four Super-Bowl squads in the 70s.
Smith won two championships in 13 years with the Steelers from 1999-2011.
The 2023 Hall of Honor Class will be inducted on Oct. 28, ahead of the Steelers’ Week 8 game versus the Jaguars the next day.