 Harrington with the New Orleans Saints in 2008 | |||||||||
| No. 3, 13 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1978-10-21)October 21, 1978 (age 46) Portland, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Central Catholic (Portland) | ||||||||
| College: | Oregon (1998–2001) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2002: 1st round, 3rd pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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John Joseph Harrington (born October 21, 1978) is an American former professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He playedcollege football for theOregon Ducks, where he earnedPac-10 Offensive Player of the Year as a senior, and was selected third overall by theDetroit Lions in the2002 NFL draft. Unable to duplicate his collegiate success, he left the Lions after four seasons. He spent his final three seasons as the primary starter for theMiami Dolphins andAtlanta Falcons and a backup with theNew Orleans Saints.
Harrington was born and raised inPortland, Oregon. He graduated fromCentral Catholic High School in Portland, and finished hishigh school career with more than 4,200 yards and 50 touchdowns rushing and passing.
Harrington's grandfather and father played quarterback for the Universities ofPortland andOregon, respectively, and upon hearing of Joey's birth, legendaryOregon Ducks' coachLen Casanova jokingly sent his parents a letter-of-intent.[1]
Harrington is a graduate of theUniversity of Oregon, and was a three-year starter on theOregon Ducks football team. In his senior season at Oregon, he threw for 2,415 yards and 23 touchdowns, and he finished his college career with a 25–3 record (including bowl wins against #12Texas and #3Colorado), 512 completions in 928 attempts (55.2%), 6,911 passing yards, 59 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and 210 rushing yards and 18 scores on 145 carries. Abusiness administration major with a 3.23 GPA (twice earning honors with a 3.34 GPA),[2][3] Harrington's 7,121 yards of total offense rank sixth in University of Oregon history.
Harrington finished fourth in the voting for theHeisman Trophy in 2001, following a campaign for the award that included a billboard inTimes Square promoting him as "Joey Heisman."[4] He earned numerous honors, including first-teamAll-American,Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, and second-team honors fromThe Sporting News. He was one of five finalists for theJohnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2001.EA Sports selected him for the cover of the 2003 edition of theirNCAA Football video game series. Harrington was given the nickname "Captain Comeback" among fans for his ability to lead Oregon to victory in late game situations, accumulating a record of 11–2 in games in which the Ducks trailed or were tied in the fourth quarter.[5]
Harrington's best collegiate game was arguably the2002 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl atSun Devil Stadium inTempe, Arizona when he threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns and helped lead the Ducks to a 38–16 victory overColorado. Harrington was named offensive player of the game.
Harrington's worst game was arguably the2000 Civil War game in which he passed 24–36 for 333 yards, but threw five interceptions. Three of those interceptions were by Oregon State defensive back Jake Cookus. #8 Oregon State ultimately won 23–13 over then-#6 Oregon.
| Oregon Ducks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | Passing | Rushing | |||||||
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Yds | TD | ||
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 8 | 84 | 158 | 53.2 | 1,180 | 10 | 3 | 133.0 | 30 | 4 |
| 2000 | 12 | 214 | 405 | 52.8 | 2,967 | 22 | 14 | 125.4 | 124 | 7 |
| 2001 | 12 | 214 | 364 | 58.8 | 2,764 | 27 | 6 | 143.8 | 56 | 7 |
| Totals | 34 | 512 | 928 | 55.2 | 6,911 | 59 | 23 | 133.8 | 210 | 18 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.80 s | 1.65 s | 2.84 s | 4.21 s | 7.00 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) | 32[6] | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Harrington was selected by theDetroit Lions with the third pick overall in the2002 NFL draft.[9] Harrington took over for incumbentMike McMahon late in the Lions' Week 1 loss against theMiami Dolphins and became the Lions' starting quarterback shortly thereafter, finishing that year with a 50.1 completion percentage, a ratio of 12touchdowns to 16interceptions, and a 59.9quarterback rating; the Lions finished the season with a 3–13 record. He was named the 2002 recipient of the Detroit Lions/Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association Rookie of the Year Award.
Harrington's career in Detroit was largely unsuccessful. Front office mismanagement, woeful offensive line protection, lack of talent at other skill positions, and an erratic philosophical change in the team's identity to a conservativeWest Coast offense-oriented attack under head coachSteve Mariucci may have played a factor in Harrington not realizing his potential professionally, as well as his own play and lack of talent. During the 2003 season, Harrington joked that being "the quarterback of the Lions and the goalie of theRed Wings" were the hardest jobs in Detroit.[10]
Harrington's best season as a Lion came in2004, when he threw for 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Lions started the season with a 4–2 record, but Harrington led the team to only two more wins the rest of the season. The Lions finished 6–10 and missed the playoffs for the fifth season in a row.
On October 23,2005, Mariucci chose to bench Harrington in favor of veteranJeff Garcia for the team's game against theCleveland Browns to try to provide a spark to the team's 2–3 start. The Lions won 13–10, and Garcia rushed for Detroit's only touchdown. After yet another dismal offensive performance, Mariucci declared that Garcia would remain the starter. That marked the first time since the 2002 season that Harrington did not appear in a Lions' game, breaking a string of 37 consecutive appearances. Harrington regained the starting role the week after Garcia threw a game-ending interception returned for a touchdown in overtime against Chicago. Harrington started again for Detroit on November 13, 2005, against theArizona Cardinals, throwing for three touchdowns without an interception in the Lions' 29–21 win. Harrington was voted by Lions fans as their Offensive Player of the Year, according to the Lions' official website.[citation needed]
Despite his difficult times in Detroit, he remained unwaveringly optimistic. In response, sarcastic Lions' fans and beat writers, who were critical of his predictable and upbeat post-game commentary as the losses continued to mount, dubbed him "Joey Blue Skies" and "Joey Sunshine".[11][10][12]
After the 2005 season, Detroit signed free agentsJon Kitna andJosh McCown, and traded Harrington to theMiami Dolphins on May 12, 2006, for a fifth-round draft pick in2007, after meeting performance stipulations in Miami (the pick was later traded to theNew Orleans Saints). Harrington started the 2006 season as a backup behind new Dolphins quarterbackDaunte Culpepper. During his tenure with the Lions, Harrington started 55 games and had a record of 18 wins and 37 losses.[13]
In 2006, Harrington did not play in the Dolphins' first four games, backing up Culpepper. Culpepper injured his shoulder prior to Miami's fifth game against theNew England Patriots, forcing Harrington into the starting role. Harrington lost his first three starts, before leading Miami to a 31–13 win over the previously unbeaten (7–0 at the time)Chicago Bears. Harrington followed that game with four consecutive victories. Harrington capped off this winning streak in front of a national television audience onThanksgiving Day in Detroit with a 27–10 victory atFord Field against his former team. Harrington passed for 3 touchdowns and 213 yards against Detroit, compiling a passer rating of 107.4, his highest single game rating for 2006. Harrington struggled after the Lions' game. Against theBuffalo Bills in Week 15, Harrington went 5-for-17 for 20 yards, throwing two interceptions. His passer rating for the game was 0.0, the minimum possible under the complex NFL formula. Harrington was pulled midway through Miami's next game against theNew York Jets, replaced in the 13–10 Christmas night loss byCleo Lemon. Harrington did not appear in Miami's Week 17 finale against theIndianapolis Colts. Overall, Harrington played in and started eleven games, leading Miami to a 5–6 record (Miami finished 6–10 for the season as a whole).
On April 9, 2007, Harrington agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons to compete withD. J. Shockley andChris Redman to be the backup quarterback toMichael Vick.[14]
Harrington was elevated to starting quarterback after the suspension of Vick for the 2007 NFL season. Harrington performed well in the preseason, but after going 0–2, Atlanta signed quarterbackByron Leftwich as a possible replacement for Harrington. During the Week 3 Atlanta home opener against the division rivalCarolina Panthers, Harrington completed 31-of-44 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 110.1 passer rating in a 27–20 loss. In Week 4, Harrington improved on his numbers with a 121.7 passer rating, completing 23-of-29 passes for two touchdowns with no interceptions, leading the Falcons to their first win of the 2007 season.
On March 5, 2008, the Falcons released Harrington in a salary cap move. He was re-signed by the team seven days later[15] but was again released in August after the Falcons completed their preseason schedule.[16]
Harrington signed with theNew Orleans Saints on September 19, 2008.[17] He was the third-string quarterback behindDrew Brees andMark Brunell for one game against theDenver Broncos. He was released only five days later on September 24, 2008, due to increasing injuries on the Saints roster.[18] After the Saints' injury situation became more manageable, Harrington was re-signed on October 1, but was cut again on October 6.[19] He once again re-signed with the Saints on October 12, 2008, as an inactive third-string quarterback.[19]
On March 30, 2009, Harrington was re-signed to a one-year deal by the Saints. He was released by the team again on September 5, 2009.
After being cut by the Saints, Harrington would not sign with another NFL team.
Harrington was first given the label of "Savior" by fans and media in Detroit - then deemed a "bust" when he did not meet high expectations. Many speculate that his premature start in the NFL, along with lack of surrounding talent, poor coaching, and questionable offensive lines have affected his performance severely. Many other quarterbacks, such asTim Couch andDavid Carr, were also drafted highly and eventually lost their starting jobs.[20][21]
In 2005, former quarterbackTroy Aikman wrote that Harrington "can still be a really good quarterback in this league," and does not deserve the blame for what happened in Detroit: "The focus on Joey's play has given every other player a hall pass, and that's not right."[22]
Former quarterbackPhil Simms said in 2006 that Harrington got a bad rap in Detroit. "I am not a Joey Harrington basher. The quarterback can't overcome bad coaching and bad players."[23] Former quarterbackDan Marino said that he did not believe that Harrington had the necessary pieces around him in Detroit to be successful, but that he might be OK in a different place.
When Lions head coachSteve Mariucci was fired by general managerMatt Millen, Lions cornerbackDré Bly told analystRich Eisen in an NFL Total Access interview that he blamed Harrington for the dismissal of Mariucci.[24] Bly later apologized to the Lions, but not to Harrington.[25]
Some fingers were also pointed at the Lions' management and coaching staff. Fellow Lions quarterbackJeff Garcia publicly questioned the team's front office, saying onWXYT that "You start to question whether the organization has the people in place who can go about making the proper selections."[26] Former defensive endHowie Long said that Millen made a mistake by drafting Harrington, along with signing Garcia instead ofBrad Johnson.
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | ||||||||||
| 2002 | DET | 14 | 12 | 215 | 429 | 50.1 | 2,294 | 5.3 | 12 | 16 | 59.9 | ||||||||
| 2003 | DET | 16 | 16 | 309 | 554 | 55.8 | 2,880 | 5.2 | 17 | 22 | 63.9 | ||||||||
| 2004 | DET | 16 | 16 | 274 | 489 | 56.0 | 3,047 | 6.2 | 19 | 12 | 77.5 | ||||||||
| 2005 | DET | 12 | 11 | 188 | 330 | 57.0 | 2,021 | 6.1 | 12 | 12 | 72.0 | ||||||||
| 2006 | MIA | 11 | 11 | 223 | 388 | 57.5 | 2,236 | 5.8 | 12 | 15 | 68.2 | ||||||||
| 2007 | ATL | 12 | 10 | 215 | 348 | 61.8 | 2,215 | 6.4 | 7 | 8 | 77.2 | ||||||||
| 2008 | NO | 0 | 0 | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| Career | 81 | 76 | 1,424 | 2,538 | 56.1 | 14,693 | 5.8 | 79 | 85 | 69.4 | |||||||||
Harrington married Emily Hatten on March 10, 2007. They have two sons, born in 2009 and 2012. Emily is a nurse practitioner, and Harrington spoke about them opening a medical clinic to serve the homeless in Portland, after he retired from football.[27] Harrington is an accomplishedjazz pianist who has occasionally performed with artists such asJason Mraz,Blues Traveler, andThird Eye Blind.[28] On February 1, 2008, Harrington appeared as a guest chef on a specialSuper Bowl episode ofThe Rachael Ray Show.[29] Harrington is a distant cousin of professional golferPádraig Harrington and professional poker playerDan Harrington.[30] Harrington's brother, Michael, played football at the University of Idaho, and was also a quarterback.
Harrington was the guest on the February 2, 2008, episodeNPR'sWait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!, as a guest during the 'Not My Job' segment.[31]
Harrington and his family moved back to Portland after his release from the Saints in September 2009. He is spending more time with his wife and family, and the numerous charities in which he is involved.[32] He co-owned thePearl Tavern, a restaurant in Portland'sPearl District, which opened in 2016 and closed in 2018.
On July 31, 2011, Harrington was struck by an SUV while riding his bicycle in Portland, Oregon. Harrington suffered a broken collarbone and a punctured lung and fractured his first two ribs below his collarbone and also got six staples in his head behind his right ear due to the accident.[33]
In 2009, Harrington worked as an NFL and college football commentator forFox Sports Radio. In2010, he served as acolor analyst for Oregon Ducks football games onOregon Sports Network.Currently, Harrington is a college football analyst forFox College Football onFX andFox. He is also a general assignment reporter withKGW Television on a part-time basis in Portland, Oregon.[34]
Harrington established the Harrington Family Foundation[35] in 2003 as a nonprofit organization with the goal of supporting youth education and activities as well as other miscellaneous benefits. Harrington's parents, John and Valerie Harrington, run the foundation.[36]
The foundation began with a portion of Joey's signing bonus with theDetroit Lions. It raises further money by selling memorabilia items and booking events. After being given the New York Times Square "Joey Heisman" billboard by the formerOregon Ducks Athletic DirectorBill Moos, he proceeded to cut it up and sell the pieces for charity. All the proceeds from the sales went toward scholarships for theUniversity of Oregon.[37]
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