Kyle Harrison (born March 12, 1983) is an American former professional lacrosse player. He now serves as the PLL Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion.
He had a seventeen year career in professional field lacrosse, and played for the US national lacrosse team twice. As a professional lacrosse player, he was a 9-time all-star, 12-time team captain, and won the 2017 championship. As a college lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University he was a team captain on a team that went undefeated (16-0) to win the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. The same year, he won the Tewaaraton Men's Player of the Year Award.
He is credited with pioneering the jumpshot, his signature move. Additionally, he is credited with popularizing the fake-and-split dodge, also known as the hitch-and-split dodge, also a signature move, which originated as his lacrosse adaption of the Allen Iverson crossover.
In 2016, he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Athletics Hall of Fame, the USA Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame, and the Baltimore Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time. Also, he has served as a role model for the next generation and been an ambassador for the sport at large.
Harrison is also a founding member of the Black Lacrosse Alliance, which seeks to push the culture of lacrosse forward to become more inclusive and inspire a more diverse generation of lacrosse players.
Early life and education
Harrison is the son of Miles and Wanda Harrison. He grew up in Baltimore, where he started playing lacrosse at age 3. His father, Miles Harrison, a 3rd generation legacy physician, played college lacrosse at Morgan State University, the first HBCU to field a lacrosse team in the NCAA. Kyle's grandfather was a Major in the Army. Kyle wore the number 18 as his father did during his playing years. Although his father influenced Kyle's decision to play lacrosse, he was never pressured to do so. Growing up, Kyle's favorite athlete was Michael Jordan. At an early age, Kyle enrolled in the Friends School of Baltimore up until his high school graduation in 2001. His two cousins, Maxxwell Davis and Marrio Davis also attended Friends School of Baltimore and continued on to play lacrosse at UMBC and McDaniel College respectively.
1998–2001: High school career
Harrison attended high school at the Friends School of Baltimore, competing in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). At the Friends School, Harrison was a standout tri-athlete playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse. In soccer, he won one MIAA title, and earned all-conference honors. In basketball, he won two MIAA basketball titles, and earned all-conference honors. In lacrosse, he won three consecutive MIAA B-Conference Championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999. He also earned all-America, all-metro, and all-state honors in lacrosse, as well. Kyle Harrison played the midfield position in lacrosse and would frequently take face-offs. In his senior year of high school, he totaled 52 points, scoring 24 goals, netting 28 assists and scooping over 100 ground balls. He was recruited to play NCAA Division 1 lacrosse on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team after performing well at recruiting camps the summer of his junior year of high school. Harrison attended school with best friend Benson Erwin since the second grade, with whom he won the 3 lacrosse championships. Upon graduation from the Friend's School in 2001, the two continued on to play as teammates on the lacrosse team at Johns Hopkins University.
In 2011, Kyle was inducted into the Friends School Hall of Fame.
2002–2005: College career
Harrison played Division 1 men's lacrosse from 2002 to 2005 for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team for Coach Dave Pietramala. He was a Writing Seminars major. In 2016, he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University athletics Hall of Fame. He was a 3-time All-American, 2-time McLaughlin Award National Midfielder of the Year, and 2005 Tewaaraton Award National Player of the Year.