Getty Former Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Damon "Snacks" Harrison announced his retirement after a nine-year career.
Since capturing their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history back in February of 2012, the New York Giants have endured a total of just two winning seasons and one playoff appearance in the last decade.
And a key piece on their last playoff team, which came during the 2016 season, has officially decided to call it quits. On Saturday, Nov. 13, former Giants defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison announced his retirement via Twitter after a nine-year career in the NFL.
Leaving out the same way I came in…with my head held high and unapologetic. It’s been real @NFL 🙏🏾 thanks for giving a kid from the projects of New Iberia & Lake Charles Louisiana a chance. I made history!!! They said I couldn’t do it but I did it! #Rags2Riches Snacks OUT ✌🏾
Harrison spent time with the Jets, Giants, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers over the course of his career. The 32-year-old appeared in a total of seven games last season for the Seahawks and Packers, but did not sign on with a team in 2021. Now, he has officially opted to hang it up.
The latest Giants news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Giants newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Giants Newsletter!
Dominant Defense
After putting together three straight impressive campaigns with the Jets from 2013-2015, Harrison signed a lucrative five-year, $46 million deal that included $24 million guaranteed with the Giants in free agency.
And at first, this addition paid off tremendously as Harrison was a First-Team All-Pro on a dominant Giants defense that captured a Wild Card berth in 2016.
Harrison posted 86 tackles, six tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks on a talented defensive line that featured Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon and Jonathan Hankins.
However, the Giants were knocked out of the playoffs by the Packers in the first round, and the following year everything fell apart with the expensive squad they assembled as they went 3-13.
From there, the Giants were looking to dump salary after another disappointing start to the 2018 season. Prior to the trade deadline in ’18, the Giants sent Harrison to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a conditional 2019 fifth-round draft selection.
Ultimate Underdog Story
Although Harrison never got back to the level of dominance he endured in his first year with the Giants, he will forever remain as one of the best stories in the NFL given his journey to the league.
Harrison grew up in Louisiana and attended Lake Charles Boston High School. But an injury to his meniscus during his junior year, which led to a massive weight gain of 40-50 pounds, caused college scouts to overlook him in the recruiting process.
Despite coming back to post a strong senior campaign, Harrison had zero scholarship offers and was forced to attend Northwest Mississippi Community College. However, he dropped out following his first semester to work as a night stocker at Walmart in Lake Charles.
Fortunately, he was later recruited by William Penn University in Iowa, where he’d go on to show the world what he could really do on the gridiron.
Harrison quickly became a standout on his team, earning Second-Team All-Conference in 2009 and 2010 before being named as an NAIA All-American in his final season.
While Harrison, who worked out at Iowa State’s Pro Day prior to the 2012 NFL Draft, was considered to be a late-round prospect in a weak class for nose tackles, he would go undrafted later that spring.
Regardless, the Jets signed him as a rookie after the draft, and despite only playing in five games in 2012, he’d go onto break out the following year and the rest is history.