All About Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Parents, Dawne and Marvin Harrison

Marvin Harrison Jr., a top prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, is the son of Super Bowl winner and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison

Marvin Harrison Jr. was raised in a football family.

Born on Aug. 11, 2002, the Ohio State wide receiver is the son of Dawne and Marvin Harrison, per the athlete's bio on Ohio State's website.

Marvin is a football great in his own right being a Super Bowl champ and Pro Football Hall of Famer. As the son of a football star who was on the same team as legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, Harrison Jr., was surrounded by the sport growing up.

Despite "trying to follow his [dad's] footsteps," Harrison Jr. has already forged a remarkable career path of his own. Now, he's one of the most exciting prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class.

"Everybody expects you to be just as good, if not better, than he is — but I'm just trying to be the best person that I could be for myself," Harrison Jr. previously told ESPN College Football of living up to the expectations of being the son of an NFL star.

Marvin, who retired from professional football after 13 seasons in the league, is undoubtedly a proud father of both Harrison Jr. and his son Jett Harrison. He's spoken highly of their work ethic, both as athletes and students.

"I told them, 'When you go to school, don't follow the guys in front of you. The guy in front of you didn't have me as your coach for 13 years. Do what I've been telling you to do and you'll be fine," Marvin told ESPN.

While their mom, Dawne, remains largely out of the spotlight, Harrison Jr. has sweetly opened up about her in interviews. "She’s my escape from football,” he previously said.

Read on to learn more about Marvin Harrison Jr.'s mom and dad.

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Marvin Harrison played for the Indianapolis Colts

Marvin was selected 19th by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft and established himself as one of the NFL’s elite wide receivers since his breakout season in 1999.

Quarterback Peyton Manning and Marvin were a dynamic duo throughout their 158 games together. During those games, the pair connected on 953 passes for 12,766 yards and 112 touchdowns, the most completions, yards and touchdowns by a tandem in NFL history.

Marvin, who is a six-time All-Pro and an eight-time All-AFC selection, played 13 seasons with the team from 1996 to 2008. He retired following the 2008 season.

Dawne prioritizes her son's academics and athletic career

Harrison Jr. has opened up about his mom's support, both on and off the field. His mother and father have emphasized the importance of academic success, in addition to football success.

”Obviously, she wants me to succeed in my athletic career, but definitely academics is always her part in my life growing up,” Harrison previously said in an interview, per Cleveland.com. “Whether it was middle school, high school, always making sure I get my homework done and things like that.”

Marvin Harrison is a Hall of Fame wide receiver

After an accomplished 13-year career in the NFL, Marvin retired from the league following the 2008 season. He recorded 14,580 receiving yards, 128 touchdowns and earned his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

When asked by ESPN College Football what comes with being a Hall of Fame father, Marvin replied: "It's tough." He explained, "I want him to play the game and have fun and I think he's doing it."

Harrison Jr. remembers the day his dad got inducted, particularly the moment he gave him a shoutout during his speech. The young athlete was 13 at the time.

"Retirement was easy for one reason," Marvin said in his speech at the time. "I have two sons, Marvin and Jett. I'll come home, be your father, be your coach and be your friend. There's no other feeling in the world that I'd rather do than come home to you guys."

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Marvin Harrison is a Super Bowl champion

Marvin and the Indianapolis Colts played in Super Bowl XLI, defeating the Chicago bears with a 29-17 win in 2007.

It was a special time to be able to do two things at once: win a Super Bowl and have his kid there to support him. "That was one of the biggest moments," Marvin told ESPN College Football in December 2022.

Harrison Jr., who was 4 years old at the time of his dad's victory, recalled his memory of the Super Bowl that year. "I just remember the confetti coming down, just being on the field and just being happy for him," he said with a smile.

Marvin attended Syracuse University

Prior to being selected in the NFL Draft, Marvin was a standout student athlete at Syracuse University. He played college football from 1991 to 1995, redshirting his freshman year and making the starting lineup in 1993.

Marvin broke records at Syracuse and earned a number of honors for his performance on the field. Among them include the All-Big East honors, which he earned three times throughout his collegiate career.

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Marvin Harrison is 'very proud' of his son Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin is a self-professed "proud dad" of Harrison Jr. He opened up to WBNS 10TV about his son's talents and capability to pave a path of his own as a wide receiver.

"It's a credit and testament to his ability," Marvin told the outlet in March 2023. "You don't want to be overshadowed by your dad, so when you go out there and play the game the right way, it's just credit to yourself for all the hard work you've done over the years."

Marvin was sure to note that watching his son thrive is enjoyable for him, too. "For me, it's just sitting back, watching, observing and enjoying," he said. "I'm very proud."

"More than anything, we came here to be a student athlete," Marvin continued of Harrison Jr. during his time at Ohio State. "I think that the university itself as a whole has done a great job to help him achieve his goals academically — and then obviously in football, he's done a great job on the field."

Dawne understands how important football is to her son

As a standout college football player, Dawne knew Harrison Jr. would have busy days, between his school work and practice schedule.

“There’s many nights where I don’t get the chance to call my mom before she goes to sleep, because I’m here catching passes on the machine,” Harrison said in an interview. “I’m just so thankful that she understands the work that I kind of have to put in."

“And I can tell her that it was all worth it now," he continued. "As bad as I wish I could call her some times and just get to talk to her, she knew and understood and my athletic career kind of comes, not first, but meant a lot to me.”

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