Information

captain for two years, senior class president, and wonKodak All-American honors as well as Little All-Americanby AP. Twice MVP of the Mid-East Conference, his senioryear was mind-boggling as he racked up 114 solo tackles,41 assists and 30 QB sacks!Personal: Harry Donald Carson was born on November26, 1953 in Florence, S.C. and starred at McClenaghanH.S. in his hometown. He has a B.S. degree in physicaleducation from South Carolina State, now lives inColumbia, S.C. and lists music as his favorite hobby.1988 New York Giants Media Guide(before Carson’s final season)Pro: Indestructible linebacker was like a vintage wine in1987, earning his ninth Pro Bowl selection, which ties anall time NFL record for most Pro Bowl appearances. Instarting all 12 regular season games, Harry finished secondin total tackles with 94, added a QB sack of 17 yardsand recovered one fumble, his 15th career recoverywhich ranks second in the Giants’ all time record sectionbehind the 19 by Jim Katcavage. Now entering his 13thseason with the Giants, that tenure will rank Harry in thethird spot in club history for most seasons played withthe Giants. The senior Giants’ linebacker had yet anotherbanner season in 1986, being named to the All-NFLteam for an eighth time, with Pro Football Weekly andFootball News doing the honors this time. The powerhouseinside linebacker started every game again, finishingsecond in total tackles with 118 in the regular season,and with 23 in the playoffs and Super Bowl. Headded his ninth career interception, this one a 20-yardreturn in the big Dec. 7 win over the Redskins, had twoQB sacks, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles,and showed his overall athletic prowess by catching a13-yard TD pass on a fake field goal in a win over theEagles. That was Harry’s third career TD. His first cameon a 22-yard fumble return for the winning score vs.Kansas City in 1979, and the other on a 14-yard interceptionreturn against Joe Montana in the 1984 Divisionalchampionship game vs. the 49ers. He also tied an alltime club record by recovering two fumbles in one game,this time vs. Dallas. As usual, Harry had his top performancesin key games, recording 13 tackles in the 17-14win over Dallas that kept the Giants in first-place, andadding 12 tackles to his interception in the Dec. 7 winover the Redskins that virtually assured the Giants of theNFL East title. Carson also made the big play on theGiants’ first-half goal line stand vs. Denver in the SuperBowl when he stacked up Gerald Willhite for no gain. In1985 Harry finished second in total tackles on the clubwith 101, just three behind fellow All-Pro Lawrence Taylor,and he added 22 tackles in the two playoff games,including 14 vs. the Super Bowl champion ChicagoBears. Over the years, Harry has had any number of outstandingseasons, including the 1979 campaign whenhe had 185 total tackles for the season. A defensive endin college, Carson was moved to LB in his rookie yearwith the Giants, won the starting MLB job halfwaythrough that rookie season, and was named to the all-NFL Rookie team in 1976. Since that time, he’s led theclub in tackles five seasons, and had his single biggestharvest in a 1982 Monday Night game vs. Green Baywhen he racked up an incredible 25 stops (20 solo, 5assists). In addition to being named to the Pro Bowl ninetimes in his career, Carson has also been named theNFL’s top inside LB in 1980 by Sports Illustrated and wasnamed as the NFC’s Linebacker of the Year that someseason by the NFL Players Association.College: Carson never missed a game in four seasons atSouth Carolina State, was team captain for two years,senior class president, and won Kodak All-American honorsas well as Little All-American by AP. Twice MVP of theMid-East Conference, he had 114 solo tackles, 41assists and 30 QB sacks in his senior year. Additionally,he was an ROTC Commander in college and won theEastern Airlines Award for highest academic averageamong Black College All-Americans.2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Information GuideProfootballhof.com- 23 -