College Football

Marvin Harrison Jr. pays tribute to dad at Big Ten media day in Indianapolis

Published Jul. 26, 2023 3:37 p.m. ET

As he returned to the city where his father became a Hall of Fame wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. opted to pay tribute to his old man.

The Ohio State star wore a blue tie and blue shoes to Big Ten media day on Wednesday, which was being held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

While the elder Harrison never played at Lucas Oil Stadium (his time with the Colts ended in 2008, a year before the stadium opened), the younger Harrison has some memories of the Colts' home stadium.

"I remember a lot," Harrison told reporters. "Definitely remember when he got inducted [to the Colts Ring of Honor] when his name was revealed here. I remember sitting over there on the home sideline. So, I remember sitting in the bleachers over there toward the end of the game and sitting with him while I was growing up. I have a picture of that."

But as the younger Harrison sat in the stands that day and on other trips to Lucas Oil, he admitted that playing in the stadium wasn't on his mind at the time.

"I was just a kid at the time and being amazed at how big the stadium is and the bright lights, things like that. I never dreamed of me getting the opportunity to maybe play in the Big Ten Championship Game or be in the stadium for Big Ten media day. I never thought of that at all. I was just a kid at the moment."

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As Harrison returned to the city where his dad shined, the comparisons between the two continued. One local reporter brought up how his father was soft-spoken when he played for the Colts and wondered if he was like him in that way.

"I'm a little more outgoing than him," Harrison said. "A little more. But I think we're both quiet, though."

Harrison also admitted that he didn't like the spotlight that comes with being a star football player, saying he just wants "to go out there and play football." As he recognized, though, that the spotlight can help bring name, image and likeness deals, he showed some style. The blue shoes were Louis Vuitton-made, as well as the bag and bracelet he had. He also wore a gray suit and a Rolex watch along with it.

Even though Harrison might have a similar personality to his father, he believes their games are a bit different. While Harrison admitted he's "too young to remember" all of his dad's career, he knows enough to believe that his playing style is different from his pops.

"Not as much as you would probably think," Harrison said when asked how much he's studied his father on tape. "I think the game has changed. You look at the offense he was in, he lined up on the right side every single time. And they never changed that. For me, there's a lot of boundary field no matter what hash we're on. I might have to line up in the slot.

"So, there's a lot more things I'm asked to do than he was probably asked to do at that time. But just the kind of mannerisms he had and morseo how he approached the game."

While his father played 13 seasons with the Colts, and he plays for a team that has dominated the Big Ten, a Harrison has yet to actually play in a game at Lucas Oil, which also hosts the Big Ten Championship Game each year. Harrison arrived in Columbus in 2021 and with back-to-back losses to Michigan, Ohio State has missed the Big Ten title game the last two years after making it in the four seasons prior.

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As he likely enters his final season with the Buckeyes, playing in Indy for the conference title is atop the list of Harrison's goals in 2023.

"When I committed to Ohio State, I knew the Big Ten Championship Game's played at Indy," Harrison said. "That's kind of the one goal that I've had in my whole college career. I haven't gotten there yet. No matter how many years I have left in college, I know that this has to be one of the years I have a chance to do that."

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