TEMPE, Ariz. -- Marvin Harrison Jr. remembers the video. On Nov. 27, 2011, he was 9 years old, standing on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for his dad's Ring of Honor ceremony. He wore a blue Indianapolis Colts cap, his father's team. And a blue 88 Colts jersey, his father's number.
On the video board, Harrison Jr. saw his father run a short route, catching the football while turning up field. He saw his father streak past the defense, catching a long pass for an easy touchdown. He saw his father lay out, hauling in a deep ball with his right hand. He heard the crowd cheer.
"A very cool video, I do remember that," Harrison Jr. said Wednesday at his locker. "Seeing a lot of the 88 jerseys, seeing his name in the stadium. Definitely, that was a cool experience for me."
On Sunday, Harrison returns to the city where his father established greatness, one sure-handed catch after another, all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Marvin Harrison Sr. played 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. His son is in his second with the Arizona Cardinals. It makes for an irresistible storyline in the Cardinals-Colts matchup.
Father and son, past and present.
Harrison Jr. doesn't have sharp memories of his father's playing days. He was 6 when his dad left the game in 2008, finishing with 1,102 catches, which then ranked second behind only Jerry Rice. Today, Marvin Harrison Sr. ranks fifth all time. He did it all in Indianapolis.
The younger Harrison has already experienced this Indiana trip, a dry run of sorts. As a rookie last season, the Cardinals had joint practices with the Colts before a preseason game in Indianapolis. While there, Harrison Jr. was asked about his father. He told reporters he recalled standing on the sideline for one of his dad's games against the Baltimore Ravens. And, of course, the 2007 Super Bowl, when the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears.
On Wednesday, it was pointed out to Harrison Jr. that his production through two seasons nearly matched his old man's. With the Cardinals, Harrison Jr. has 82 catches for 1,191 yards and 10 touchdowns through his first 22 games as a pro. With the Colts, his father had 90 catches for 1,114 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first 22 games.
The young receiver wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Yeah, I don't necessarily know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, honestly," said Harrison Jr., the No. 4 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. "Hopefully, I'll have the same career."
Nearly every football fan recalls his highlights. What may not be as memorable is how Marvin Harrison Sr. got started.
Like his son, Harrison Sr. entered the draft as one of college football's top receivers. In four seasons at Syracuse, he had averaged an absurd 20.2 yards per reception and scored 20 touchdowns. But unlike his son, Harrison Sr. slipped at the NFL Draft, all the way to the Colts at No. 19. That night, ESPN analyst Sterling Sharpe called him the steal of the first round.
The Colts knew as much.
"From evaluating him as a college player, he just looked like he was going to be a really tough guy to cover," said Jimmy Robinson, the receivers coach for the elder Harrison's first two seasons in Indianapolis. "He was really quick, had great speed. Quickness and separation ability. Really great hands. He was just a natural."
Chris Doering, like Harrison, a rookie receiver for the Colts in 1996, didn't know much about his teammate. His first impression: Listed at 6-feet, 185 pounds, Harrison lacked the size of typical first-round receivers. Also, he was super quiet. Then Doering saw Harrison on the practice field.
"You see him run -- very smooth, makes it look effortless," Doering said. "And I remember how good his hands were. The way he caught the ball. Extremely good ball skills. Catching it with his hands and not letting it get into his body."
Brian Stablein, then in his second season as an Indianapolis receiver, saw similar characteristics. Harrison showed uncommon professionalism for his age, letting his game talk for him.
"He stuck out right away," Stablein said. "A very good route runner. A great technician. He had a natural way of sitting in routes and coming out of routes quicker than most human beings can, so you saw (his talent and potential) pretty quickly, for sure."
Robinson said his only regret was that the Colts didn't throw to the young receiver more. With Jim Harbaugh at quarterback and Marshall Faulk in the backfield, Harrison had just two 100-yard receiving games in his first two seasons. Then, in 1998, Indianapolis drafted Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, and for the next decade, he and Harrison formed one of the league’s more dangerous duos.
"Just otherworldly stats," Robinson said, scanning the numbers during a recent phone conversation.
When Harrison Jr. came along, the father's former teammates saw differences and similarities. An Ohio State product, Stablein watched Harrison Jr. star for the Buckeyes as a freshman against Utah during the 2021 Rose Bowl. He noticed the difference in size -- at 6-foot-3, Harrison Jr. was much bigger than his father. But he also saw familiar tendencies.
"You instantly saw his release techniques and how polished he was for a young receiver and just the enormous catch radius," Stablein said."A little different than his dad.But you could see the skill set.And you could see that his dad had worked with him because he was very,very technically solid."
Harrison Jr. has had a rough start to his second season. He dropped two passes in a Sept. 21 loss at San Francisco, errors that drew national attention. Four days later, in a home loss to Seattle, he bobbled a pass that was picked off. Fans couldn't help but notice: Harrison Jr. looked fragile.
Lately, he's been better. Harrison had a strong second half against the Seahawks and followed with a strong first half last Sunday against Tennessee. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Harrison has made minor adjustments in practice -- he declined to provide specifics -- that's led to improved play. He said he hopes Harrison Jr. will use it as a stepping stone because the Cardinals need him more involved.
Arizona could use a boost. Through five games, the Cardinals (2-3) rank 26th in yards per game and 23rd in scoring. Complicating matters: Quarterback Kyler Murray injured a foot in last Sunday's loss to Tennessee, jeopardizing his availability for Indianapolis. If the seventh-year quarterback cannot play, Jacoby Brissett would start in his place. Among the veteran's main tasks would be unlocking Harrison Jr.
The young receiver has played well in spurts, but he knows he can be better. Years ago, his father reached stardom through consistency by producing each week. For Harrison Jr., it's the next step in his journey—one that continues in Indianapolis where his father became a star.
"It's going to be emotional for sure," Harrison Jr. said adding that Cardinals who have lost three in a row need to focus on simply getting a win."But it's definitely a special game for me."