Tommie Harris
Encyclopedia
Tommie Harris, Jr. is an American football
defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Oklahoma
.
Harris has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts
. He is a one-time All-Pro
and three-time Pro Bowl
selection.
and attended Ellison High School
. As a member of the Ellison Eagles, Harris became one of the nation's top defensive high school prospects, including being ranked as the 35th best high school prospect in the nation by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. In the 1998 football season he was a starting defensive tackle in his freshman year for the Eagles who were ranked 1st in the state of Texas and 13th in the nation. He also participated on Ellison's track and field team, where he participated in the shotput.
. He was a leader on and off the field, choosing to lead by example. He is one of the very few players in OU history to start every game of his true freshman season. In his junior and final season as a Sooner, Harris won the Lombardi Award
as the nation's best lineman in 2003. He was named to the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team in 2009.
Harris turned down the Playboy
All-America Team photo shoot in 2002. When asked about it in Sports Illustrated
, he said, "I have four sisters and no interest in promoting Hugh Hefner
's agenda. What would I be saying by being in that magazine? That I'm poor and am looking for publicity? That I like girls in swimsuits? I don't even like pornography."
out of University of Oklahoma
.
In 2004, he finished second in balloting for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award
. In only his second NFL season, Harris was selected for the first time for the 2006 Pro Bowl
. Harris is well suited for coach Lovie Smith
's version of the Tampa 2
defense, which relies on quick, mobile linemen to get pressure on the quarterback. Harris' play has earned him comparisons to the young Warren Sapp
, who rose to prominence in a similar defensive scheme.
Harris enjoyed an excellent start to the 2006 season, leading the league with five sacks after four games. He was instrumental in a Week 3 victory over the Vikings, disrupting a handoff in the Vikings backfield and forcing a fumble, which allowed the Bears to score the game-winning touchdown. Furthermore, Harris was awarded the NFC's "Player of the Week" award twice in three weeks. However, in the following weeks, Harris' productivity declined. Additionally, Harris was forced to leave the Bears' Week 13 match-up against the Vikings after sustaining a knee injury. Further medical review determined that Harris had severely injured his hamstring
, and he missed the remainder of the 2006 season.
Despite the injury, Harris was selected to play in the 2007 Pro Bowl
, and appeared on the cover of the February issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. Without Harris, the Bears noticed a significant decline in their pass rush and run defense. Though the Bears beat the New Orleans Saints
to win the NFC Championship, the Indianapolis Colts
beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI
.
Harris saw limited action throughout the subsequent preseason, and only made a brief return during the final game of the preseason against the Cleveland Browns
. He played in the Bears' season opener against the San Diego Chargers
and forced a pivotal (and controversial) fumble. He finished 2007 with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.
On June 19, 2008, Harris signed a contract extension with the Chicago Bears for $40 million over four years. It also includes a $8.5 million Pro Bowl
bonus, which he will receive if he makes it to the Pro Bowl
in 2008, 2009, and 2010. He can make an additional $2 million based on performance. It also included $17 million in guarantees and made Harris the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. That salary has since been surpassed by Albert Haynesworth's.
Harris' role with the Bears has decreased since he injured his knee during a Week 3 game of the 2007 season. The injury has hampered his performance throughout portions of the 2008 season, and into the 2010 season. Nevertheless, Harris recorded eight sacks in 2007 despite starting in 13 games that season. On November 8, 2009, Harris was ejected just 65 seconds into the first quarter in a game against the Arizona Cardinals
for punching guard
Deuce Lutui in the face. He later apologized for the incident.
In 2010, Harris was benched after the second week of the season. Head coach Lovie Smith
stated, "We have 45 guys that you can go with; we have everybody healthy right now. Just felt like we wanted to get a look at Marcus Harrison
, him and Henry Melton
inside, a little bit. Just performance based. Tommie's been doing everything we've asked him to do." The same, week, former defensive tackle Warren Sapp
criticized Harris, comparing him to "blind dog in a meat house." Harris later returned the Bears the next week, but lost his starting position. He recorded his first and only sack of the season in week 17 against the Green Bay Packers
.
On February 28, 2011, Harris, along with linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer
and offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer
, was released by the Bears. During his seven seasons with the Bears, Harris played in 104 games, recording 213 tackles and 28.5 sacks.
, but was released on September 3.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
.
Harris has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. He is a one-time All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
and three-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection.
Early years
Harris was raised in Killeen, TexasKilleen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...
and attended Ellison High School
Ellison High School
Ellison High School is a public high school in the community of Killeen, Bell County, Texas for grades 9-12. It is one of four high schools in the Killeen Independent School District. Ellison High School opened in 1978 and the first graduation class was held in 1979. The current principal of the...
. As a member of the Ellison Eagles, Harris became one of the nation's top defensive high school prospects, including being ranked as the 35th best high school prospect in the nation by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. In the 1998 football season he was a starting defensive tackle in his freshman year for the Eagles who were ranked 1st in the state of Texas and 13th in the nation. He also participated on Ellison's track and field team, where he participated in the shotput.
College career
As one of the nation's top defensive prospects, Harris was pursued by many elite schools, but finally decided to attend the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. He was a leader on and off the field, choosing to lead by example. He is one of the very few players in OU history to start every game of his true freshman season. In his junior and final season as a Sooner, Harris won the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
as the nation's best lineman in 2003. He was named to the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team in 2009.
Harris turned down the Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
All-America Team photo shoot in 2002. When asked about it in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, he said, "I have four sisters and no interest in promoting Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
's agenda. What would I be saying by being in that magazine? That I'm poor and am looking for publicity? That I like girls in swimsuits? I don't even like pornography."
Chicago Bears
Harris was the 14th pick of the 2004 NFL draft2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
out of University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
.
In 2004, he finished second in balloting for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award
NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Since 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...
. In only his second NFL season, Harris was selected for the first time for the 2006 Pro Bowl
2006 Pro Bowl
The 2006 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 12, 2006 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-star game was held in Honolulu...
. Harris is well suited for coach Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
's version of the Tampa 2
Tampa 2
The Tampa 2 is an American football defensive strategy popularized by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League team in the mid 1990s-early 2000s. The Tampa 2 is typically employed out of a 4-3 defensive alignment, which consists of four linemen, three linebackers, two cornerbacks, and...
defense, which relies on quick, mobile linemen to get pressure on the quarterback. Harris' play has earned him comparisons to the young Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
, who rose to prominence in a similar defensive scheme.
Harris enjoyed an excellent start to the 2006 season, leading the league with five sacks after four games. He was instrumental in a Week 3 victory over the Vikings, disrupting a handoff in the Vikings backfield and forcing a fumble, which allowed the Bears to score the game-winning touchdown. Furthermore, Harris was awarded the NFC's "Player of the Week" award twice in three weeks. However, in the following weeks, Harris' productivity declined. Additionally, Harris was forced to leave the Bears' Week 13 match-up against the Vikings after sustaining a knee injury. Further medical review determined that Harris had severely injured his hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
, and he missed the remainder of the 2006 season.
Despite the injury, Harris was selected to play in the 2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Pro Bowl
The 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS....
, and appeared on the cover of the February issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. Without Harris, the Bears noticed a significant decline in their pass rush and run defense. Though the Bears beat the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
to win the NFC Championship, the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
.
Harris saw limited action throughout the subsequent preseason, and only made a brief return during the final game of the preseason against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played in the Bears' season opener against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and forced a pivotal (and controversial) fumble. He finished 2007 with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.
On June 19, 2008, Harris signed a contract extension with the Chicago Bears for $40 million over four years. It also includes a $8.5 million Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
bonus, which he will receive if he makes it to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 2008, 2009, and 2010. He can make an additional $2 million based on performance. It also included $17 million in guarantees and made Harris the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. That salary has since been surpassed by Albert Haynesworth's.
Harris' role with the Bears has decreased since he injured his knee during a Week 3 game of the 2007 season. The injury has hampered his performance throughout portions of the 2008 season, and into the 2010 season. Nevertheless, Harris recorded eight sacks in 2007 despite starting in 13 games that season. On November 8, 2009, Harris was ejected just 65 seconds into the first quarter in a game against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for punching guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
Deuce Lutui in the face. He later apologized for the incident.
In 2010, Harris was benched after the second week of the season. Head coach Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
stated, "We have 45 guys that you can go with; we have everybody healthy right now. Just felt like we wanted to get a look at Marcus Harrison
Marcus Harrison
Marcus Harrison is an American football defensive tackle free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arkansas...
, him and Henry Melton
Henry Melton
Henry Melton is a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He is an alumnus of the University of Texas...
inside, a little bit. Just performance based. Tommie's been doing everything we've asked him to do." The same, week, former defensive tackle Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
criticized Harris, comparing him to "blind dog in a meat house." Harris later returned the Bears the next week, but lost his starting position. He recorded his first and only sack of the season in week 17 against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
On February 28, 2011, Harris, along with linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer
Hunter Hillenmeyer
Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was originally selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round with the 31st pick of the 2003 NFL Draft. Hillenmeyer attended high school at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville...
and offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer
Kevin Shaffer
Kevin Carl Shaffer is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, was released by the Bears. During his seven seasons with the Bears, Harris played in 104 games, recording 213 tackles and 28.5 sacks.
Indianapolis Colts
On August 2, 2011, Harris signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, but was released on September 3.