Here is the first installment of ‘Before they were Giants,’ a look at some of the members of the New York Giants roster prior to making the NFL. In this first look, get to nose defensive lineman Damon Harrison who was displaced because of Hurricane Katrina and cut from his junior college football team before making the NFL. But it was those life lessons that helped make him into a star.

Long before he was a New York Giant, Damon Harrison lived a life that was far away from the bright lights of New York City and the cheers of the NFL. Harrison is not the first star in the NFL to come from a small college or be under-recruited, not by any stretch.

But he might be the first Target employee to sign a five-year contract and be considered one of the game’s best defensive linemen. In fact, that is likely a pretty safe bet.

In high school, Harrison had to temporarily move out of his home in Louisiana and live in a high school gymnasium when Hurricane Katrina destroyed parts of his home town. He ate meals provided by the Red Cross and slept on the floor of the gym because with his big frame, he couldn’t find anywhere else that was comfortable.

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Talk about character building experiences.

Lightly recruited, he was cut when he tried to make his junior college team and found work at Target. From there he would get a crack at college football again, getting recruited to play at William Penn, an NAIA program in Iowa. Not exactly a football powerhouse as Harrison remains the only alumnus from the school currently in the NFL.

From there he went on to become a star, eventually signing an undrafted rookie free agent deal with the New York Jets. He would impress, even as there wasn’t much buzz about him at rookie minicamp or training camp. But his work ethic was second to none and he stuck, working his was from the bottom of the roster to being a starter. All of this led him to this offseason where he signed a five-year deal with the Giants to anchor the center of their defensive line.

Here’s a look back at Harrison from his time at William Penn when no one knew his name or there was any buzz about him being a Pro Bowl selection (it is still a crime he didn’t make the Pro Bowl last year):