30th Athletics Hall of Fame: Tarry Harrison

From a running-star to a special education teacher to a small business owner, Colorado State University alum Tarry Harrison has always found his way back to his Ram roots.

Starting at CSU in 1965, Harrison recalled the drastic differences and growth the campus experienced in the last 56 years.

"Well, when I started there, the headline in the Collegian was how excited the Collegian was because there were 5,500 students enrolled at CSU," Harrison said. "The library had just been finished, the student center had just been finished, and Moby gym was still under construction."

With a still growing campus with a small population, Harrison was well known, especially when his athletic career began to take off during his senior year, and the connections he made through the athletic department would prove handy down the line.

In light of his success, Harrison will be inducted into the 30^th CSU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, September 10^th at 4:30pm in Canvas Stadium.

Harrison ran track and field and cross country for CSU between 1965 and 1969, but began to make his impact in 1968 when he came in second place at the NCAA meet in the 10,000 meters and won the conference championship in cross country the same year. The following track and field season, he won the 1969 conference championship.

After graduating from CSU with a history degree, Harrison went on to run in California while he was training for the Olympics. Despite not making the team in 1968 as a CSU student, he continued on to the Olympic trials in 1972, where he placed seventh in the 5,000.

"When I left CSU, I went out to California as an elite runner and trying to make the Olympic team in 1972," he said. "I didn't make the team in 1968 when I was still at CSU, but I would've qualified for the Olympic team if I made the top three, which I didn't do."

Despite his booming athletic success, Harrison found his calling in the classroom.

His passion for education began when Harrison spent part of his summers at a youth camp in California and found himself able to bond with these adolescents. But with only a history degree, he needed help to put himself in a position to succeed as an educator.

"When I came back, I needed something to do and I started teaching," he said. "Back in those days, teachers were a dime a dozen and you had to distinguish yourself. The coach I had the first two years at CSU got me into grad school and got me a fellowship and I got my Master's degree. And then I taught a year, and then went back and got a specialist in education degree. And after that, I found jobs everywhere."

He followed his teaching passion for 30 years and focused on special education. While he was teaching, he started his own landscaping company, A-Native Sprinklers and Landscaping LLC, for some extra money during the summer.

"Right now, I'm semi-retired and eventually will give the company up, but it helped my wife and I get the kids through school and stuff like that," Harrison said.

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