Rodney Harrison Earns Place In Patriots Hall Of Fame, Beating Out Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel
BOSTON (CBS) -- The choice for this year's entrant into the Patriots Hall of Fame came down to a trio of championship players. Ultimately, Rodney Harrison won the vote.
Harrison was voted by fans to be the 29th inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Harrison beat out finalists Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour for the spot in Foxboro's Hall of Fame.
"The fact that the fans voted me in means more than [it would to make] the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Harrison said in a conference call with reporters shortly after the announcement was made.
Harrison joined the Patriots in 2003 and helped the team to Super Bowl titles in each of his first two seasons in New England. In total, Harrison played six seasons for the Patriots, serving as a team captain in each season. He came up with seven interceptions in nine playoff games -- including two in the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXIX win over the Eagles. Those seven interceptions have Harrison tied for third-most in NFL playoff history. As the Patriots noted in their official announcement, Harrison's picks were generally quite impactful, too:
Harrison also had a knack for coming up with interceptions at crucial times. In the 2004 regular season and playoffs, five of his six interceptions came inside the opponent's 20-yard line with four of those picks coming inside the 4-yard line and two of them coming in the end zone. His only 2004 interception that did not come inside the 20-yard line was a fourth-quarter interception in Super Bowl XXXIX that ended Philadelphia's last drive to clinch the championship.
Harrison led the Patriots in total tackles in both 2003 and 2004, and he also lead all NFL defensive backs in that category.
Harrison will become the seventh player from the early-2000s portion of the dynasty, joining Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Kevin Faulk and Matt Light.
Former offensive tackle Leon Gray will be this year's other Patriots Hall of Fame honoree, as selected by the senior selection committee.