William Henry Harrison High School

William Henry Harrison High School, commonly known as Harrison High School or simply Harrison, is a public high school located at 211 Fielding Road on the east side of Evansville, Indiana. Part of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC), Harrison has served generations of students from Evansville’s east side since opening in September 1962.

The school is named for William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States and an important figure in the early history of Indiana. Before becoming president, Harrison served as the first governor of the Indiana Territory from 1801 to 1812.

Harrison’s athletic teams are known as the Warriors, and the school’s traditional colors are red, black and white.

History

William Henry Harrison High School opened in September 1962, during a period of significant expansion and change in Evansville.

The city’s population and residential development had increasingly moved outward from Evansville’s historic urban core during the decades following World War II. New neighborhoods, subdivisions, businesses and shopping areas were developing on the east side, creating a need for additional educational facilities to serve the growing population.

Construction of Harrison was underway by 1961. Historical photographs preserved by the University of Southern Indiana document the school during construction before its September 1962 opening.

Harrison became the newest of Evansville’s major traditional public high schools when it opened, arriving six years after the opening of North High School in 1956.

Its creation added another chapter to a public high school system already defined by institutions such as Reitz, Bosse, Central and North.

The school’s earliest years were a period in which Harrison was still developing its own identity and traditions. Students entering the new school were effectively creating many of those traditions for the first time.

The first students arrived in 1962, and Harrison’s first complete graduating class finished in 1966.

Over the decades that followed, Harrison became firmly associated with Evansville’s east side and developed a particularly notable reputation for producing successful athletes, coaches and other prominent graduates.

Campus and East Side Growth

Harrison’s location on Fielding Road reflects the transformation of Evansville’s east side during the second half of the 20th century.

When Harrison opened, much of the development that now characterizes the eastern portion of Evansville was comparatively new. Over subsequent decades, the area surrounding Harrison became one of the city’s major residential and commercial corridors.

The school consequently became an important neighborhood institution for thousands of families living throughout eastern Evansville.

Today Harrison primarily receives students progressing through areas served by Plaza Park Middle School and McGary Middle School.

The school remains at its original Fielding Road location, although the campus and educational facilities have changed and evolved since the early 1960s.

Academics

Harrison is a four-year public high school serving students in grades 9 through 12.

The school offers a broad high school curriculum along with Advanced Placement courses, dual-credit opportunities, electives and access to specialized programs throughout the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation.

Harrison currently advertises 23 Advanced Placement and dual-credit opportunities, allowing students to pursue college-level coursework while still attending high school.

Students also have access to EVSC’s Innovative High School programs.

Beyond traditional classroom instruction, Harrison students participate in dozens of clubs, organizations and extracurricular programs. The school reports more than 40 clubs and extracurricular activities.

The school’s student newspaper is known as The Prophet.

Harrison also maintains an unusually strong connection with its former students. More than 30 Harrison alumni have returned to work at the school, accounting for roughly one-third of its staff.

Athletics

Athletics have played a particularly important role in Harrison’s identity.

The Harrison Warriors compete in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, traditionally placing the school alongside many of southwestern Indiana’s best-known high school athletic programs.

Harrison offers approximately 20 Indiana High School Athletic Association athletic opportunities.

The school’s athletic history includes success across numerous sports, but Harrison has become particularly notable for the number of athletes who eventually competed at the highest levels of college and professional sports.

Harrison graduates have reached the NBA, NFL, major college basketball, professional football and the Olympic Games.

Among the most famous is basketball star Calbert Cheaney, who became one of the greatest players in Indiana University history.

Cheaney graduated from Harrison in 1989 before playing for Indiana University under Bob Knight. He became the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer and won multiple national player-of-the-year awards before beginning a lengthy NBA career.

Another Harrison basketball standout, Walter McCarty, became a star at the University of Kentucky before playing in the NBA.

The school’s football tradition has also produced elite players.

Scott Studwell became an All-American linebacker at the University of Illinois before spending his entire 14-year NFL playing career with the Minnesota Vikings.

Kevin Hardy also starred at Illinois and became one of college football’s premier defensive players before being selected second overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. Hardy later earned Pro Bowl honors during his professional career.

Harrison’s athletic history extends beyond football and basketball.

Race walker John Nunn became an Olympian, representing the United States internationally after graduating from Harrison. He is recognized by the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches as the only Olympian in Harrison High School history.

State Championships

Harrison has won IHSAA state championships in golf.

The girls golf team won the state championship during the 1988–89 school year.

More than two decades later, the boys golf team won the state championship during the 2011–12 school year.

These championships represent two of the highest team achievements in Harrison athletic history.

Basketball Tradition

Basketball occupies a special place in Harrison’s history.

Few Evansville schools can claim a group of basketball alumni comparable to Harrison’s.

Calbert Cheaney became a national college player of the year and NBA player.

Walter McCarty won a national championship at Kentucky before playing professionally in the NBA.

Chris Lowery became a successful Division I college basketball head coach, leading Southern Illinois to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.

Brad Brownell developed into one of the country’s longest-tenured major college basketball coaches and became the winningest head coach in Clemson men’s basketball history.

David Ragland returned to Evansville after a lengthy coaching career to become head men’s basketball coach at the University of Evansville.

The collection of players and coaches has made Harrison an important part of Evansville’s larger basketball history.

Football Tradition

Harrison has similarly produced an impressive collection of football players.

Scott Studwell became one of the most recognizable defensive players in Minnesota Vikings history.

Kevin Hardy became an NFL Pro Bowl linebacker.

Other Harrison graduates continued their football careers in major college football, the NFL, Canadian Football League and other professional leagues.

The school’s early athletic history helped establish this tradition.

Ron Overton, a member of Harrison’s early student body, became the school’s first major three-sport standout, competing in football, basketball and baseball before playing football and baseball at Indiana State University.

Harrison’s success across different generations has made athletics one of the most visible parts of the school’s identity.

Harrison and Evansville

Although Harrison is one of Evansville’s younger traditional high schools, its history now spans more than six decades.

The school has educated thousands of Evansville residents and has become closely connected with the development of the city’s east side.

Its graduates have entered politics, professional sports, college athletics, entertainment, business, journalism, photography, broadcasting, music and the arts.

Among them are a former Indiana Supreme Court chief justice, a United States congressman, professional football and basketball players, nationally recognized coaches, an Olympic athlete, a White House photographer, Broadway talent and nationally known broadcasters and musicians.

That diversity has given Harrison one of the more distinctive alumni histories among Evansville schools.

Notable Alumni

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