At 6’8″ and 280 pounds, Dennis Harrison terrorized opposing offensive backfields for four years at Vanderbilt, 1974-1977, living up to his nickname-“Bigfoot.” At the conclusion of his freshman year, he was named defensive MVP at the 1974 Peach Bowl.
Following a stellar senior year, Harrison was selected First Team All-SEC and played in the Hula Bowl, Blue-Gray Classic, and Japan Bowl. Harrison’s prowess on the field extended to the classroom as well, when he was chosen academic All-SEC in 1976 and 1977.
Selected by Philadelphia in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL draft, Harrison went on to play seven years as a defensive lineman for the Eagles. He participated in the 1983 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XV. Harrison still ranks sixth among all-time Eagle sack leaders, despite playing several seasons before such statistics were officially kept by the NFL.
Dennis Harrison finished his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers and then returned to Tennessee to coach at the high school level. For seven years, he was an assistant coach at Franklin Road Academy, followed by three seasons as head football and wrestling coach at Page High School. His FRA football squad captured a 1991 TSSAA state crown.
The 1996 Page wrestling team finished second in Tennessee, and Harrison was named Class A/AA Coach of the Year. In 1997 Harrison returned to Vanderbilt as a member of Woody Widenhofer’s coaching staff. He is currently teacher and coach for football, track, and girls basketball at Brentwood Middle School. He has been a member of many area athletic organizations, including the Board of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Middle Tennessee NFL Hall of Fame, the Nashville Black Coaches Association, The Baptist Foundation Board, the NFL alumni, and NFLPA.