Kyle Harrison (lacrosse)
Kyle Harrison (born March 12, 1983) is an American former professional lacrosse player. He now serves as the PLL Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion.
 Kyle Harrison c. 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 12, 1983 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 205 pounds (93 kg) | |||||||||||||||||
| Shoots | Right | |||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||
| NCAA team | Johns Hopkins University lacrosse (2005) | |||||||||||||||||
| MLL draft | 1st overall, 2005 New Jersey Pride | |||||||||||||||||
| MLL teams | New Jersey Pride Los Angeles Riptide Denver Outlaws Ohio Machine | |||||||||||||||||
| PLL teams | Redwoods L.C. | |||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2005–21 | |||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | K18 | |||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | ||||||||||||||||||
PLL:
MLL:
NCAA:
Other:
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Medal record
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He had a seventeen year career in professional field lacrosse, and played for the US national lacrosse team twice. As a professional lacrosse player, he was a 9-time all-star, 12-time team captain, and won the 2017 championship. As a college lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University he was a team captain on a team that went undefeated (16-0) to win the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship.[1] The same year, he won the Tewaaraton Men's Player of the Year Award.
He is credited with pioneering the jumpshot, his signature move.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Additionally, he is credited with popularizing the fake-and-split dodge, also known as the hitch-and-split dodge, also a signature move, which originated as his lacrosse adaption of the Allen Iverson crossover.[9][10][11]
In 2016, he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame, the USA Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame, and the Baltimore Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.[12]
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time. Also, he has served as a role model for the next generation and been an ambassador for the sport at large.[13][14][15][16][17]
Harrison is also a founding member of the Black Lacrosse Alliance, which seeks to push the culture of lacrosse forward to become more inclusive and inspire a more diverse generation of lacrosse players.[18]
Early life and education
Harrison is the son of Miles and Wanda Harrison. He grew up in Baltimore, where he started playing lacrosse at age 3. His father, Miles Harrison, a 3rd generation legacy physician, played college lacrosse at Morgan State University, the first HBCU to field a lacrosse team in the NCAA.[19][20] Kyle's grandfather was a Major in the Army.[21] Kyle wore the number 18 as his father did during his playing years. Although his father influenced Kyle's decision to play lacrosse, he was never pressured to do so. Growing up, Kyle's favorite athlete was Michael Jordan.[21] At an early age, Kyle enrolled in the Friends School of Baltimore up until his high school graduation in 2001. His two cousins, Maxxwell Davis and Marrio Davis also attended Friends School of Baltimore and continued on to play lacrosse at UMBC and McDaniel College respectively.[22][23]
1998–2001: High school career
Harrison attended high school at the Friends School of Baltimore, competing in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). At the Friends School, Harrison was a standout tri-athlete playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse. In soccer, he won one MIAA title, and earned all-conference honors. In basketball, he won two MIAA basketball titles, and earned all-conference honors. In lacrosse, he won three consecutive MIAA B-Conference Championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999. He also earned all-America, all-metro, and all-state honors in lacrosse, as well. Kyle Harrison played the midfield position in lacrosse and would frequently take face-offs. In his senior year of high school, he totaled 52 points, scoring 24 goals, netting 28 assists and scooping over 100 ground balls. He was recruited to play NCAA Division 1 lacrosse on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team after performing well at recruiting camps the summer of his junior year of high school. Harrison attended school with best friend Benson Erwin since the second grade, with whom he won the 3 lacrosse championships.[24] Upon graduation from the Friend's School in 2001, the two continued on to play as teammates on the lacrosse team at Johns Hopkins University.[22][25]
In 2011, Kyle was inducted into the Friends School Hall of Fame.[26]
2002–2005: College career
Harrison played Division 1 men's lacrosse from 2002 to 2005 for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team for Coach Dave Pietramala. He was a Writing Seminars major.[23] In 2016, he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University athletics Hall of Fame. He was a 3-time All-American, 2-time McLaughlin Award National Midfielder of the Year, and 2005 Tewaaraton Award National Player of the Year.[27]
2002: Freshman season
Harrison's first year at Hopkins was also Coach Dave Pietramala's first year as head coach. During Harrison's first year at Hopkins, he was on the first midfield line and started in all 14 games. He totaled 13 points on the season, scoring 9 goals and 4 assists. He was also the team's number one faceoff man, winning 120 out of 190 faceoffs, notching a win percentage of 63.2% and scooping 85 ground balls. His faceoff percentage was the sixth highest in the nation and his ground ball percentage was twelfth highest in the nation, averaging 5.07 ground balls per game. In the season-opener game against defending national champion Princeton, Harrison scored two goals in an 8–5 upset. Also, he was especially effective late in the season, winning 63 out of 87 (72.4%) faceoffs. In the two playoff games, he won 27 out of 42 (64.3%) faceoffs and grabbed 19 ground balls.[23]
2003: Sophomore season
During Harrison's sophomore year at Hopkins, he was one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Award, and the only sophomore amongst them. Additionally, he earned 2003 USILA Second Team All-American honors. Throughout the season, he had a 20-game point-scoring streak that extended from late in the 2002 season through the NCAA Semi-finals against Syracuse University. In the playoffs, he scored five goals and added two assists. In an 11–10 OT victory against North Carolina, he scored a career-high three goals, including the game-winner. Also, he finished the season eighth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage (62.6%), winning 109 out of 174 faceoffs, and leading the team in ground balls with 83 ground balls.[23]
2004: Junior season
During Harrison's junior year at Hopkins, he won the McLaughlin Award for the nation's top midfielder, was again a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, and was a 2004 USILA First Team All-American. He reached a new career high with 33 points on the season, scoring 26 goals and 7 assists. for 33 points. Three of the goals were game-winning goals. In the playoff quarterfinals, he scored three goals and one assist against University of North Carolina, and in the playoff semi-finals, he scored 2 goals against Syracuse University. [23]
2005: Senior season
In Harrison's final season at Hopkins, he led the team as co-captain to an undefeated 16–0 season, culminating with winning the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. This year he was named the Tewaaraton Award recipient, becoming the first minority to receive the award. He also won the McLaughlin Award for the second time, and earned USILA First Team All-American honors for the second time. Throughout the 16 games that season, Harrison scored 24 goals and 20 assists, totaling 44 points. Harrison also played alongside freshman Paul Rabil on this 2005 team, who would continue on to win the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship and the 2007 McLaughlin Award. [23]
JHU Hall of Fame Induction
Harrison was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. Throughout his four years at Hopkins, Harrison was a 3-time USILA All-American, 2-time McLaughlin Award National Midfielder of the Year, and 2005 Tewaaraton Award National Player of the Year. More than 15 years after graduating, he remains the only Johns Hopkins player to win the Tewaaraton Award. Harrison netted a collegiate career total of 126 points, scoring 81 goals and 45 assists. As a faceoff specialist for Hopkins, Harrison ranks 3rd in school history with a 61.1% win percentage, victorious in 328 out of 537 faceoffs. Scooping a career total of 204 ground balls, he is one of just 11 players in school history with more than 300 career ground balls. [27]
2005–21: Professional lacrosse career
2005–09: MLL
Kyle Harrison is a 7x MLL all-star.
2005–07: New Jersey Pride
Harrison was the first overall draft pick in the MLL for the 2005 season. He was a midfielder with the New Jersey Pride from 2005 until the 2007 season. He played in the MLL All-Star Game in 2005 and 2006.[28] Harrison also played for the 2006 U.S. Men's National Team in World Lacrosse Championship.[29]
2008: Los Angeles Riptide
Harrison was traded to the Los Angeles Riptide after the 2007 season. Since joining the Riptide, Harrison has played in the 2008 MLL All-Star Game,[30] and helped the Riptide return to the postseason as a third seed in the NB ZIP MLL Championship Weekend to play for the Steinfeld Cup.[31] The Riptide fell in the semi-final round to the Denver Outlaws.[32]
2009: Denver Outlaws
In 2009, Kyle Harrison played for the Denver Outlaws.
2010–14: LXM Pro Tour
LXM Pro Tour was founded in late 2009. Kyle Harrison was one of the co-founders with former college All-Americans and professional players Scott Hochstadt, Craig Hochstadt, Xander Ritz and Max Ritz. In 2014, LXM Pro and MLL announced a partnership.[33]
2014–18: Ohio Machine
In 2014, Kyle Harrison was named the Ohio Machine season MVP.[34] Kyle Harrison led the Ohio Machine to a championship in 2017.[35]
2019–21: Redwoods Lacrosse Club
From 2019 to 2021, Harrison was a captain on the Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. In 2019 and 2021, he was awarded the PLL Brendan Looney Leadership Award. The award was not awarded during 2020. He is also the PLL Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion.[36] He was selected as a 2019 PLL All-Star and a 2021 PLL All-Star.[37][38]
2006, 2014: World Lacrosse Championship
Kyle Harrison was a midfielder on the 2006 United States national lacrosse team. The team reached the final round of the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship, but lost to Canada.
Kyle Harrison was a defensive midfielder on the 2014 United States national lacrosse team. The team reached the final round of the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship, but lost to Canada.
Retirement
In 2021, prior to the season beginning, Harrison announced his retirement, stating that the 2021 season would be his last.[39]
Legacy
In 2023, he was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.[40]
Sponsorship
Most notably, Kyle Harrison has had a contract with STX for his K18 equipment line that has been adopted as the official gear by many college programs. Harrison first inked this deal right out of college 2005, and that partnership has remained intact to date. This partnership marks the longest-running contract partnership in lacrosse history.[41] Also, right of out of college, Kyle Harrison had a Nike sponsorship manufacturing various sportswear and lacrosse apparel. Additionally, in 2013, Beats Electronics had personalized custom headphones designed for a select few of celebrities, LeBron James, Wayne Rooney, Justin Bieber, Kobe Bryant, Lady Gaga and Kyle Harrison. Kyle Harrison's personalized headphones had writing in Hopkins blue of the K18 logo, 16–0 (the 2005 lacrosse team undefeated record), 'Finish Strong', 'LXM PRO', and '2005' on it.[42]
Statistics
PLL
| Kyle Harrison | Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | G | 2PG | A | Pts | Sh | GB | Pen | PIM | FOW | FOA | GP | G | 2PG | A | Pts | Sh | GB | Pen | PIM | FOW | FOA |
| 2019 | Redwoods | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Redwoods | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2021 | Redwoods | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career Total: | 29 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 66 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted
MLL
| Season | Team | GP | G | 2ptG | A | Pts | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | New Jersey | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 27 |
| 2006 | New Jersey | 11 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 25 | 21 |
| 2007 | New Jersey | 12 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 35 |
| 2008 | Los Angeles | 12 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 30 | 23 |
| 2009 | Denver | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| 2014 | Ohio | 13 | 27 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 4 |
| 2015 | Ohio | 14 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 5 |
| 2016 | Ohio | 11 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 10 |
| 2017 | Ohio | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| 2018 | Ohio | 10 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 7 |
| Totals | 106 | 133 | 8 | 70 | 211 | 140 | |
NCAA
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Johns Hopkins | 14 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 85 |
| 2003 | Johns Hopkins | 16 | 22 | 14 | 36 | 83 |
| 2004 | Johns Hopkins | 15 | 26 | 7 | 33 | 69 |
| 2005 | Johns Hopkins | 16 | 24 | 20 | 44 | 67 |
| Totals | 61 | 81 | 45 | 126 | 304 | |
High school
| Season | Team | G | A | Pts | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Friends School | 24 | 28 | 52 | 100 |
Awards
PLL:
- 2x Brendan Looney Leadership Award
- 2x All Star
MLL:
- 7x All Star
- 2017 MLL Championship
- 2014 Ohio Machine Team MVP
NCAA:
- 2016 Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee
- 2005 Tewaaraton Award
- 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
- 2005 Undefeated Season (16-0)
- 2x McLaughlin Award (2005, 2004)[28]
- 3x Top 5 Tewaaraton Finalist (2004, 2003) [1]
- 2003 2nd-Team All-American
Other:
- Baltimore Hall of Fame Induction (2016) [43]
Personal life
Kyle Harrison has two children, Brooke and Smith, with his wife Meredith.[44]
References
- Player Bio: Kyle Harrison :: Men's Lacrosse
- Nast, C. (n.d.). Lacrosse Players Break Down Lacrosse Scenes from Movies [Video]. GQ. https://www.gq.com/video/watch/the-breakdown-lacrosse-players-break-down-lacrosse-scenes-from-movies
- Silcox, H. (2021). 5 things to look forward to in the PLL’s Week 3 — Lacrosse Flash. Lacrosse Flash. https://www.lacrosseflash.com/read/2021/6/23/5-things-to-look-forward-to-in-the-plls-week-3
- Playground, L. (2021). Grip ‘N RIP: Kyle Harrison, Ohio Machine. Lacrosse Playground. https://www.lacrosseplayground.com/grip-n-rip-kyle-harrison-ohio-machine/
- Jordie. (2019, July 1). The Revengers: The Crease Dive’s Premier Lacrosse League Week 5 recap show. Barstool Sports. https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/1352787/the-revengers-the-crease-dives-premier-lacrosse-league-week-5-recap-show
- Kyle Harrison’s Last Dance. (n.d.). USA Lacrosse. https://www.usalacrosse.com/news-media-blog/kyle-harrisons-last-dance
- Inside Lacrosse. (2012, August 10). Jumpshot Instructional with Kyle Harrison [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpzeArm5QMs
- Harrison, I. (2016, March 8). How to Kyle Harrison's Jump Shot. Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved from https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/how-to-kyle-harrison-s-jump-shot/14739
- Lacrosse, P. (2023). The artful Dodger. Powell Lacrosse. https://www.powelllacrosse.com/blogs/journal/the-artful-dodger
- Harrison, Kyle M. “Over the Years My Split Dodge Turned into a Combination of All of My Favorite Players to Watch: Jalbert, Haugen, Boland, Colsey, PR, Schreiber, Seibald, Prout & More! But in the Beginning, It Was Straight from @alleniverson in 5th Grade. Big Wide Step & Shake. Ai Was Too Clean. PIC.TWITTER.COM/R4RCVJN3WQ.” Twitter, 16 Nov. 2021, twitter.com/KyleHarrison18/status/1460645436197330950.
- Tweedy, D. (2021). Forever a Blue Jay: Kyle Harrison says goodbye to Homewood Field. Crankshooter.com. https://www.crankshooter.com/blogs/crankshooter-blog/forever-a-blue-jay-kyle-harrison-says-goodbye-to-homewood-field
- Inside Lacrosse Staff. (2023, September 21). USA Lacrosse Announces 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees. Retrieved from https://www.insidelacrosse.com/news/2023/09/21/usa-lacrosse-announces-2023-hall-of-fame-inductees/
- "Former Johns Hopkins lacrosse star Kyle Harrison, 'an ambassador for young men of color,' bringing retirement tour home to Baltimore".
- The most influential figures in Black lacrosse history. (n.d.). USA Lacrosse Magazine. https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/fuel/us-lacrosse/the-most-influential-figures-in-black-lacrosse-history
- Powell Lacrosse on. (2022, February 25). Twitter. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://twitter.com/powelllacrosse/status/1497009801129336834
- "2021 Topps Premier Lacrosse League 2020 Championship Series Cards". August 3, 2021.
- Reiter, B. (2021, May 27). Can a New Barnstorming, Player-Centric Lacrosse League Serve as a Template for Other Sports? Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/lacrosse/2018/11/16/lacrosse-paul-rabil-premier-lacrosse-league
- "Black Lacrosse Alliance". Black Lacrosse Alliance. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- "Soaring through sports: Surgeon credits lacrosse with career success". February 28, 2018.
- Ricardi, Alisha (February 28, 2011). "Diversifying lacrosse still work in progress". ESPN. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- "Kyle Harrison - STX".
- "My Lacrosse Story: Kyle Harrison". YouTube.
- "Kyle Harrison - Men's Lacrosse".
- "Kyle Harrison '01". YouTube.
- "Kyle Harrison - Men's Lacrosse".
- Hammond, J. (2011, May 5). Separated by more than a generation, two athletes united into one class. North Baltimore, MD Patch. https://patch.com/maryland/northbaltimore/separated-by-more-than-a-generation-two-athletes-unit719e4905fe
- "Kyle Harrison (2016) - Hall of Fame".
- newjerseypride.com: Team
- 2006 U.S. Men's Team Bio: Kyle Harrison Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- MLL announces 2008 All Star Roster
- Post-season teams featured in Championship Weekend
- Outlaws Edge Riptide
- "MLL, LXM PRO Form Partnership; Players Can Play Both Leagues".
- "STX Blog | Kyle Harrison's Top 10 Career Moments".
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "PRO | Kyle Harrison – Legends Lacrosse". Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- "Premier Lacrosse League announces 2019 All Stars". July 15, 2019.
- "2021 PLL All-Star Game Presented by CrowdStrike".
- "Kyle Harrison Announces 2021 Will Be His Final Season". www.insidelacrosse.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- USA Lacrosse announces National Lacrosse Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023. (n.d.). USA Lacrosse. https://www.usalacrosse.com/news-media-blog/usa-lacrosse-announces-national-lacrosse-hall-fames-class-2023
- Kyle Harrison ’01. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
- "Kyle Harrison Custom Dr. Dre Beats Headphones".
- Hall of Fame,. (n.d.). Greater Baltimore Lacrosse Foundation. https://baltimorelacrossefoundation.com/hof/
- "Kyle Harrison".