Harry Donald Carson is a native of Florence, South Carolina. Born on Thanksgiving Day (11/26/53) to Gladys and Edgar Charles Carson Sr. he is youngest of 6 children. He attended and graduated from the public schools (Holmes Elementary, Wilson Jr. High, Wilson Sr. High and McClenaghan High School) within the Florence School System.
Carson attended and graduated from South Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. He went on to pursue graduate studies at South Carolina State and Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 2016 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. (College highlights on page 3.)
After his graduation from college he played professional football with the New York Football Giants in the National Football League. He played for 13 seasons (173 games). As a result of his play Harry Carson became the 231st member of pro football to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2006 in Canton, Ohio.
Carson is CEO and President of Harry Carson Inc. a Sports Consulting and Promotions Company. He is the author of 2 books. Point of Attack published in 1985 by McGraw-Hill and his second and more comprehensive book reflecting on his career and life after football Captain for Life was published by St. Martin’s Press in August 2011.
Carson has served as Executive Director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance. The FPA is an organization that represents all National Football League Minority Coaches, Coordinators, Scouts, Player Personnel and Game Day Officials dedicated to creating a greater sense of racial and gender diversity in non-player roles within the National Football League.
Carson is currently a Spokesperson for Hackensack Meridian Health.
Aside from many academic and athletic high school awards, college, professional sports and post professional sports awards/honors his most important recognition could be that he is credited with being one of the very first former professional athletes to draw attention to the association of concussions (mild traumatic brain injuries) with neurological abnormalities later in life to those who have participated in contact sports or have served in the military.
Through his education and his own personal experiences as an athlete he has established himself as an open and very knowledgeable internationally recognized source on Concussions in Sports. Carson has long been an advocate on health-related issues. Aside from his advocacy for sports-related concussion awareness, he has been an advocate for Prostate Cancer awareness, Aphasia, Aplastic Anemia and Spinal Cord injuries causing Paralysis.
In a “lifetime” effort to “make a difference” in the lives of others, Harry Carson has worked with many organizations like the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis where he serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Wynona’s House (an organization that help abused children and their families) by collecting toys and redistributing the toys and food in cooperation with the Newark Police Department to families in and around Newark, New Jersey communities during the Christmas season. This practice has come to be called “Blue Christmas”. He has given much of his time and energies hosting and participating in many charity golf tournaments to benefit other various worthy causes.
Aside from shining a light on specific health related issues Carson has also been a very strong advocate toward the plight of his National Football League brethren. Instead of focusing on his own career achievements, he used his 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech as an opportunity to highlight the issues of inadequate pensions and the need for improved benefits for retired NFL players.
Carson has been a lecturer and speaker to diverse groups that range from juvenile and prison inmates to high school scholars, from college athletes to corporate executives and political leaders.
In his spare time, he enjoys enhancing his own wellness and physical fitness as well as mentoring young people and current athletes. His goal is to live his best life to the fullest!
Harry Carson is married to Maribel and is the proud father to Aja Carson-Gurley (Andrew), Donald and Lucky (Kay) and even prouder “PopPop” to Jamison & Kellen, Carsen, Lenny & Tess.
Early Grade School Accomplishments:
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- Senior Class President
- Air Force Junior Commander (Lt. Colonel)
- President Bi-Racial Committee
NFL Highlights
Harry Carson’s 13-year stint with the New York Football Giants is one of the longest tenures in club history. The indestructible former linebacker served as Team Captain for 10 of his 13 seasons including the 1986 season when the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI. Rated the #1 “Inside Linebacker” in National Football League history according to Pro Football Weekly, Carson was named to the All-Rookie Team after his first NFL season. Subsequently, during his NFL career, he was named to the All-NFL Team 7 times, the All-NFC Team 8 times and NFC Linebacker of the Year twice. He once made an amazing 25 tackles in a Monday Night Football Game against the Green Bay Packers. With performances like that he was selected by his peers to play in the NFC-AFC Pro Bowl 9 times. He is among the top 250 players to ever play professional football with his induction as the 231st member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His coach Bill Belichick an assistant coach for the Giants for 12 years considers Carson to be “the best all-around linebacker” he ever coached.
College Honors
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- 2 Times Team Captain (Never missed a game during his college football career.)
- Kodak All-American Football Team
- NAIA All-American Team
- Pittsburgh Courier All-American Football Team
- All State (South Carolina)
- All Mid – Eastern Athletic Conference
- 2 Times Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year
- Sheridan Broadcasting Network 100 Year Anniversary Black College All-American Team
- All Division II College Football Team of the Quarter Century (1975 – 1999)
- South Carolina College Athlete of the Millennium by the State Newspaper of South Carolina
- Recognized by the State of Kentucky as a Kentucky Colonel.
- Received The Order of The Palmetto (Highest honor given to a native of South Carolina)
Carson excelled off the field academically as well, winning awards for the highest academic average among Black College All-Americans.
Post-Football Honors
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- The Wilson High School Alumni Hall of Fame
- The South Carolina State University Athletic Hall of Fame
- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame
- The Florence South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame
- The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame
- The Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey
- The New Jersey Sportswriter’s Hall of Fame
- The Black College Alumni Hall of Fame
- The Division II College Football Hall of Fame
- The College Football Hall of Fame (2002)
- The Black College Football Hall of Fame (2012)
- The New York Football Giants Ring of Honor (2010 – Inaugural Class)
- Top 100 Players to play for the New York Football Giants
- Top 10 Players to play for the New York Football Giants
- The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2006
In 2024, as part of the team’s 100th year celebration, Harry Carson was named the seventh greatest player to suit up for the New York Giants.