Harry Kent Newsome Jr. (born January 25, 1963) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a punter in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Newsome was born in

Cheraw, South Carolina Cheraw ( , ) is a town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2020 census. The greater Cheraw area in the zip code 29520 has a populatio ...

and played scholastically at Cheraw High School. He played collegiately at Wake Forest,and was a third-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

as a junior. Newsome was selected by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the eighth round of the

1985 NFL draft The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The NFL draft, draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985 NFL season, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New ...

. He spent five years with the Steelers, followed by four years with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. Harry holds the record for the longest punt in Three Rivers Stadium of 84 yards. He shares with Herman Weaver the NFL record for most of his own punts blocked in a career with 14. In 1988, he set the NFL record for most of his own punts blocked in a season with 6. Today, Newsome lives in his hometown, Cheraw, SC with his wife, Beth. Together, they have three children: Josh, Laurin, and Cody. After retirement, Newsome founded his own landscaping company.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

1963 births Living people Sportspeople from Cheraw, South Carolina American football punters Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Minnesota Vikings players {{Amfoot-punter-stub