Richard Drew Harris (January 21, 1948 – July 26, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American in 1970 for Grambling and was selected in the first round (5th overall pick) of the 1971 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, the first defensive player chosen. Harris was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 1971 and was widely regarded as one of the fastest defensive linemen in professional football before being hobbled by knee injuries.
Harris spent seven seasons as a lineman in the NFL – three with the Philadelphia Eagles, two more with the Chicago Bears, and a final two years with the Seattle Seahawks. After his retirement from the NFL, Harris began a second career as a coach, leading several indoor football teams as head coach before working as a defensive assistant for the BC Lions, Ottawa Renegades, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Personal
Richard Harris was born January 21, 1948, in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was raised in the historically segregated Moretown section of the city by his mother, Annice Harris.Gordon Forbes, Richard Harris: Top Pick 'Square' But Mean," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 29, 1971, pg. 24. He was diagnosed with a fatty buildup around his heart when he was about 12 years old and advised at the time to avoid strenuous physical activity – advice which was roundly ignored.Associated Press, "Eagles' Harris Rejects Doctor's Prediction," Pottstown [PA] Mercury, August 11, 1971, pg. 18.
Richard was only allowed to play two years of high school football. He explained: "My mother didn't like the game. She used to think I would get crunched by those big guys, and since I was the oldest boy, she didn't want anything happening to me."Associated Press, "Philadelphia Eagles Sign Richard Harris to Contract," Crowley [LA] Post-Herald, Feb. 18, 1971, pg. 11.
Telling his mother that he was out playing with friends when he was really going to football practice, Harris learned the game and began to develop his natural athletic skills, making use of his sprinter-caliber speed. His mother eventually relented to her son's desire to play football, declaring, "If you want it that bad, go ahead."
Initially used as a running back, Harris soon switched to defensive tackle, expressing a desire to hit opponents rather than be hit. Initially very thin at 178 pounds, Harris nevertheless made use of his superior speed and quickness in the high school game, earning the attention of college recruiters.
College career
Initially just 214 pounds when he reported to college, Harris played for head coach Eddie Robinson and his Grambling Tigers, filling out to become a 6'3", 265-pound defensive lineman.Collie J. Nicholson, "Talented G-Men have Glum Eddie Optimistic About 1970 Campaign," Shreveport Times, August 28, 1970, pg. 8-D. Robinson enthusiastically remembered: "He impressed us with his size and speed and quickness the first time we saw him. He could outrun most of our backs. Sometimes he'd get so worked up it was 'damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead' with him. We found out he has a temper. He is mean as hell."
Harris was the star of a 20-member senior class in 1970 which included several NFL prospects, including lineman Charles Roundtree and guard Solomon Freelon.
A preseason All-American candidate in 1970, Harris was hobbled in October of his senior season by an ankle injury which sidelined him for two games."Grambling Plays TCU," Shreveport Times, October 31, 1970, pg. C1. Despite the slow start, by December Harris had begun to assert himself as a prescient and powerful defensive stopper. The Grambling defensive captain was one of three Grambling players named to The Sporting News''' 1970 All-America team, joined on this elite roster by defensive end Scott Lewis and wide receiver Frank Lewis.Bill McIntyre, "Grambling: TV or Not TV," Shreveport Times, December 16, 1970, pg. C1. Harris was also named to the 1970 AP Little All-American team and was tapped for the Senior Bowl.Ed Shearer (Associated Press), "QBs Hold Spotlight in Senior Bowl Show," Dubois [PA] Courier-Express, January 8, 1971, pg. 7. He also played in the Blue-Gray Game and the Coaches' All-American Game.
Professional career 1971 NFL draft
Going into the January 1971 NFL draft, Harris was highly touted by his former Grambling coach, Eddie Robinson, who deemed him "the quickest big man in the country." The 265-pounder was timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40 yard dash, elite speed for his position."Eagles Pick Grambling's Harris, Big, Tough Tackle," Doylestown [PA] Daily Intelligencer, January 28, 1971, pg. 21.
Harris was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1971 draft. He was taken in the first round, the fifth overall selection and the first defensive player selected.Associated Press, "Eagles Tap Richard Harris of Grambling," Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader and Evening News, January 28, 1971, pg. 21.
Eagles owner Leonard Tose was enthusiastic about his team's choice, noting that it had Harris at number 4 on its draft board, behind only the first three selections of the lottery – quarterbacks Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, and Dan Pastorini."Harris 'On Cloud Nine' After Eagles Pick," Philadelphia Daily News, pg. 48.
Tose told the Philadelphia Daily News:'' "I like him because he'll improve the defensive rush. You do that and the whole team looks better. Here's a guy who can make the whole team look better. That's why we took him."
Harris was selected ahead of future defensive members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Jack Youngblood and Jack Ham.
Harris was also named to the College All-Star team which played an exhibition game against the World Champion Baltimore Colts in July 1971, registering two sacks of quarterback Earl Morrall and chasing down running back Tom Matte from the back side on several sweeps, en route to earning Most Valuable Player honors.Gordon Forbes, "Eagles' Richard Harris is Voted MVP in All-Star Game," Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 1971, section 3, pg. 8. Colts veteran offensive lineman Bob Vogel was duly impressed, declaring, "I think Harris is a load – he really had me scrambling. If he doesn't make it, nobody will."
Philadelphia Eagles
Harris signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on February 17, 1971. While official terms were not made public, the four-year deal between Harris and the team was reportedly in the range of $130,000Associated Press, "Newest Eagle Seen Capable of Nailing QB," Hanover [PA] Evening Sun, February 18, 1971, pg. 15. to $160,000.
Negotiations were clouded by legal wrangling between two sports agencies, one of which had been controversially dismissed in favor of representation by Dallas financier Zip Viracola. A lawsuit was threatened by the jilted New York agency.
After a slow start during his 1971 rookie campaign, during which Harris rode the bench while the Eagles' defense gave up more than 30 points three weeks in a row, head coach Jerry Williams was replaced by Ed Khayat."Eagles Rookies Saluted," Philadelphia Daily News, December 21, 1971, pg. 48. Harris was inserted into the starting lineup and quickly began to come into his own, helping to anchor a defense which only gave up just 117 points over the next seven games.Gordon Forbes, "Carr Rates Eagle Defense Above Viking, Cowboy Units," Philadelphia Inquirer, November 23, 1971, pg. 31. Harris was rewarded in December for his stellar rookie performance with a place as one of two defensive ends on the UPI All-Rookie Team."UPI All-Rookie Team," Philadelphia Daily News, December 21, 1971, pg. 48.
As was common for many players during the era, Harris took a temporary job for the NFL off-season, joining the faculty at East Stroudsburg State College in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, where he taught physical education for a semester and helped out as an assistant coach during spring football practice."NFL Player Gets New Job," Sunbury [PA] Daily Item, March 4, 1972, pg. 14. He would later seamlessly move into a career in coaching following the end of his NFL playing days.
Harris' stellar rookie season was not repeated in 1972, however. Nursing a sore knee during the preseason, Harris was abruptly benched by defensive coach Jess Richardson in September, ostensibly due to a failure to maintain containment assignments.Gordon Forbes, "Harris Benched in Ever-Changing Eagles' Latest Move," Philadelphia Inquirer, September 23, 1972, pg. 21. "It was a matter of repeated errors or repeated following his assignment through," explained Richardson. "It was more a matter of physical error than mental – he had problems physically with his opponent."
After beginning the season 0–2, Harris was returned to his accustomed starting role as defensive left end in the third game of the 1972 season, a high profile Monday Night against the New York Giants in which brash owner Len Tose declared, "I guarantee a victory."Gordon Forbes, "Khayat Reshuffles Eagles' Cast for Game with Giants," Philadelphia Inquirer, October 2, 1972, pg. 17. The guarantee of victory over their hated rivals was not backed up by the Eagles' play, however, as the team fell by a score of 27–12, with Harris hyperextending and injuring his right knee in first half action.Bill Shefski, "Reaves Leans Hard — Snead Knows Well," Philadelphia Daily News, October 3, 1972, pp. 64, 60. Harris managed to return to the game and continue with his sophomore season, but the losses continued to mount and frustration built, with his best friend on the Eagles, guard Henry Allison, cut at the end of October by coach Khayat in an effort to spark the team's intensity."Allison Cut 'For Not Doing Job' as Eagles Grab Two on Waivers," Philadelphia Inquirer, November 1, 1972, pg. 53.
The Eagles would finish the 1972 season ensconced in the cellar of the NFC East with a record of 2-11-1.
Ahead of the 1973 campaign, the Eagles attempted to rebuild their fortunes by trading star wideout Harold Jackson and two future first round draft picks for 32-year old quarterback Roman Gabriel.Gordon Forbes, "Eagles Get Gabriel, But Pay High Price," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 9, 1973, pg. 21. In making the trade, new Eagles' head coach Mike McCormack and the Philadelphia front office managed to protect Richard Harris, whom the Rams coveted and who was rumored to be involved in the portentous Gabriel trade.
Harris was ultimately lost for the opening month of the 1973 season when he was double-teamed high and low in the fourth quarter of a September exhibition game against the New York Jets, partially tearing ligaments in his right knee.Gordon Forbes, "Howfield's FG Beats Eagles," Philadelphia Inquirer, September 9, 1973, pp. 1-D, 10-D. The team attempted to rehabilitate the injury without surgery. Moved to left tackle from his customary position of left end, the hobbled Harris, a former outside speed rusher, went into December with no sacks and was increasingly regarded as a draft bust, having failed to realize his enormous potential.Gordon Forbes, "Eagle Rushers Ride on Namath's Trail," Philadelphia Inquirer, December 9, 1973, pg. 3-D. His time with the Eagles neared its close, with the team insisting that he reduce his weight below 260 pounds before being moved back to his natural position of defensive end.Gordon Forbes, "Eagle Trade Talks Fail in Search for Linebacker," Philadelphia Inquirer, January 27, 1974, pg. 6-E.