Harris Barton

Harris Scott Barton (born April 19, 1964) is an American fund manager and a former professional football player. He played as an offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). A two-time first-team All-Pro, he won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Early life Harris Scott Barton was born on April 19, 1964, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both of Barton's parents were from New York City and were Jewish; his mother Joan from an Orthodox Jewish family in Queens, New York, and his father Paul from Brooklyn, New York. Paul Barton was a traveling salesman who sold women's uniforms throughout the Southeastern United States. Both of his parents developed and eventually died of brain cancer, leading Barton later in life to found Champion Charities, which raises money to fund brain tumor research at University of California, San Francisco.

Barton began playing football at age five.

College career Barton was recruited by over 100 colleges including University of Southern California, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame, but chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

He played against William "Refrigerator" Perry and his brother Michael Dean Perry at Clemson. While at UNC Barton played in the Japan Bowl.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers Barton was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1987, and the 22nd pick overall. He was the first offensive lineman chosen in the opening round by the San Francisco 49ers since Forrest Blue in 1968. During his first year playing for the 49ers, Barton was runner up in Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1994, during the 49ers opener against the Los Angeles Raiders at Candlestick Park, Barton tore his left triceps tendon which required surgery to repair, benching him for part of the '94 season. He was replaced by Harry Boatswain.

Barton retired after the 1998 season.

In 2006 he was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California, and in March 2011 he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2024 he was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Seniors category.

Post-playing career Along with former teammates Ronnie Lott and Joe Montana, Barton was a Managing Partner of Champion Ventures in 1999, raising $40 million in an original round from professional athletes such as Steve Kerr, Barry Bonds, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Keyshawn Johnson and Dan Marino.

Champion Ventures, later renamed HRJ, was a fund of funds which invested in private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds and managed $2.4 billion at its peak in May 2008.

In April 2009, the fund was taken over by Capital Dynamics in a bid to augment its fund of funds platform and gain a foothold in Silicon Valley.

In October 2010, he left Capital Dynamics to start the angel investment firm H. Barton Asset Management.

Personal life Barton lives in Palo Alto, California, with his wife, Megan, and their four children. The First Tee, Champion Charities (a 501(c) organization, he founded with former teammate and business partner Ronnie Lott), the 49ers Foundation and the Giants Community Fund.