No. 53 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | November 26, 1953 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Florence, South Carolina | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | South Carolina State | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1976 / Round: 4 / Pick: 105 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
Sacks: | 19 |
---|---|
Interceptions: | 11 |
Games: | 173 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Harry Donald Carson (born November 26, 1953) is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Carson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Born in Florence, South Carolina, Carson played at Wilson High School and later at McClenaghan High School, from which he graduated.
Before his NFL career, Carson played college football for Willie Jeffries at South Carolina State University from 1972–1975, not missing a single game in four years. He became the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player to win consecutive defensive player of the year honors, and assisted the Bulldogs to consecutive conference championships. In 1975, he was a first team selection on the AFCA College-Division All-America team and set school records with 117 tackles and 17 sacks. With Carson as their captain, the Bulldogs defense recorded six shutouts in 1975, and held their opponents to just 29 points, an NCAA record for a ten-game season. Carson's Bulldog teammates included former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Donnie Shell and former Kansas City Royals first baseman Willie Mays Aikens. In 2002, Carson was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.