INDIANAPOLIS – The third time is indeed the charm for Marvin Harrison.
On Saturday, Harrison was chosen as a member of the 2016 Class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After being a finalist in his first two years of eligibility, Harrison earned induction in 2016 with coach Tony Dungy.
Harrison ranks No. 3 in NFL history with 1,102 receptions, No. 7 with 14,580 yards and No. 5 with 128 touchdowns.
He's the lone player in league annals to record eight straight seasons of at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.
His 143 receptions in 2002 still stands today as the most for a single season in NFL history.
"I'm more happy for the Colts organization and the City of Indianapolis," Harrison said on Saturday night.
"I'm so thankful and honored that I will be able to represent them both in the Hall of Fame. I want to personally thank Jim Irsay for drafting me in 1996. He promised me a Super Bowl (and) we can now say, 'mission accomplished.'"
Colts fans will remember Harrison for his remarkable productivity lining up on the right side of the offensive formation.
Any gimmicks to try and deceptively move Harrison around the offense weren't used by the Colts.
They weren't needed.
Harrison's ability to maintain such rare production still has opposing defensive backs talking about No. 88 today.
"Marvin Harrison was the best receiver I played against," nine-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson said a few months back).
"He was bigger than you would think from watching him on film, and he was fast and quick and ran great routes. They were going to line him on the defense's left side every time, but he was tough to deal with even when you knew where he was going to be. I never was one of those guys who was going to lose sleep thinking about a matchup, but I did understand that it was going to be one of those days when I was playing him. Really, he was the only guy that I thought of like that."
Colts fans reminiscing about Harrison's time in Indianapolis (1996-2008) will recall three iconic plays.
The tiptoe endzone catch in New England (2006), the Houdini touchdown against Denver in the 2004 postseason and the one-handed, full extension snag in Tennessee (2003) are three of Harrison's finest individual moments.
With Edgerrin James just missing out on this year's induction, Harrison and Dungy have started an undeniable stretch of Colts heading to Canton in the coming years.
"I see so many players now," Dungy says, "that when they are the focal point of the offense, you have to move them around and the game plan is you have to move this guy, move him here, give him motion, get ways to get him open. We didn't do that to Marvin. He played on the right side. Everybody knew where he was and he was still able to produce year in and year out.
"To me, the greatest receiver I've been around."
Harrison joins Dungy in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the Class of 2016. James was a finalist in his second eligible year.
The rest of the 2016 class is as followed: owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., quarterback Brett Favre, linebacker Kevin Greene, offensive tackle Orlando Pace and quarterback Ken Stabler.
2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalist - MARVIN HARRISON