Reporter-News Archives Wednesday, June 25, 1997 Former Cooper football player killed in accident By TANYA EISERER / Abilene Reporter-News Former Cooper High School football captain Jon Scott Harrison died early Tuesday morning in a one-vehicle rollover north of Hodges. Harrison, 20, was pronounced dead at 4:40 a.m. at Hendrick Medical Center by Justice of the Peace Sam Matta. Christopher Smith, Harrison's 19-year-old passenger, was listed in guarded condition at Hendrick Tuesday night. Harrison and Smith were apparently returning to Abilene from a gathering at a residence in Hodges. "They were coming to get some food," said Randy Allen, a friend of the family and the head football coach at Cooper. Harrison was southbound in a sports utility vehicle on County Road 495 when he rounded a curve at a high speed, a Department of Public Safety official reported. The vehicle careened off the road to the right side, overturned several times and threw Smith out, DPS Sgt. Tom Sharp said. Smith was able to walk away from the accident to seek help, Sharp said. Friends and family were in shock Tuesday as they mourned the death of Harrison, a three-year letterman in football and baseball at Cooper and a 1996 graduate. "It's just awfully tough on them to lose a 20-year-old son," Allen said. "They're still in shock. Scott was a wonderful, Christian young man. He was a leader." Harrison's father, Jon, is an assistant football coach at Cooper. Harrison was attending East Central University in Ada, Okla., on a football scholarship. He would have been a sophomore this fall. He was captain of the Cooper football team and winner of the Fighting Heart Award his senior year. "The Fighting Heart Award symbolized all the things that we try to teach about courage, teamwork and hard work," Allen said. Harrison is survived by his parents, Jon and Debbie Harrison of Abilene, and his younger brother, Luke Harrison. Memorials may be made to the Scott Harrison Scholarship Fund, Young Life, P.O. Box 3477, Abilene 79605. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications