Bobby Harrington: Losing an All-World Person

Stan Drayton with Bobby Harrington talking about matching shirts at last month’s golf outing.

The last time I saw Bobby Harrington was at the Navy at Temple game and he walked up to me in Lot K and said: “Mike, we’re going to win this one. I have no doubt.”

“I don’t know, Bobby, Navy is pretty good.”

“Trust me. We’re winning this.”

Temple won, 34-16.

Haason Reddick with Bobby at last year’s Cherry and White game.

I didn’t get to see him after the game but messaged him on Facebook to congratulate him for being right.

“I just had a feeling,” he responded.

I had a feeling I would seeing Bobby Harrington again. His feeling was right. Mine was wrong.

A couple of days ago I woke up and saw a post on Facebook with a photo of Bobby holding a fish and a comment that said something to the effect that someone in the photo was in Heaven.

I assumed it was the fish. Later, I learned it was Bobby.

Hard to process that because, to me, Bobby Harrington was healthier than 90 percent of the people I know.

They must have meant someone else.

He worked out at the Swarthmore College track every day.

I will probably still be processing on opening day when I look around and he’s not in Lot K.

I posted on twitter that Harrington was a backup linebacker at Temple but an All-World person and I meant it. A walk-on at Temple, he worked his way from the scout team to second-team linebacker for both Bruce Arians and Jerry Berndt. While he wore No. 51 in his freshman year, he changed his number to 55 for the last three years and was known as 55 to most people.

His story is pretty well-known. He was addicted to drugs once but clean and sober for more than the last dozen years. He dedicated his life to helping people with similar problems cross the other side into a clean and sober life.

Who knows how many people he helped but it must have been in the thousands.

Knowing Bobby was an All-Catholic at Monsignor Bonner, I introduced him to another former All-Catholic quarterback, Bishop Egan’s Tony Russo, at one Cherry and White tailgate. Mr. Russo is the father of Anthony Russo, the fourth-leading passer in Owls’ history.

The two immediately hit it off and had a great conversation about Catholic League football that left my jaw open.

That’s the effect Bobby Harrington had on everyone, though.

To meet him the first time was to be his friend for life.

Bobby was always at Cherry and White, always at the practices reserved for football alumni and even made the golf outing last month.

He loved Temple football and Temple loved him back. He had a way to connect with the current players most alumni don’t and always looked at things positively.

Hopefully, he will be sending positive vibes to this year’s Owls from above he will “have a feeling” about a lot of Temple wins in 2024.

Monday: Hidden Figures

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