Tommie Harris
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| Tommie Harris | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 29, 1983 |
| Place of birth | Killeen, Texas |
| Position(s) | Defensive Tackle |
| College | Oklahoma |
| NFL Draft | 2004 / Round 1/ Pick 14 |
| Pro Bowls | 2006 |
| Awards | 2004 Brian Piccolo Award |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2004-current | Chicago Bears |
Tommie Harris (born October 29, 1983 in Killeen, Texas), is a professional football player for the NFL's Chicago Bears as a Defensive Tackle. Into his third year as a Professional, Harris is already being proclaimed as one of the NFL's premier productive defensive players.
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[edit] Early years
Harris was raised in Killeen, Texas, and attended Ellison High School. As a member of the Ellison Eagles, Harris became one of the nation's top defensive high school prospects [citation needed]. He participated on Ellison' track and field team, where he was a shotput.
[edit] College years
As one of the nation's top defensive prospects, Harris was pursued by many elite schools, but finally decided to attended the University of Oklahoma. He was a silent leader on and off the field leading by example. In his junior and final season as a Sooner, Harris won the Lombardi Award as the nation's best lineman in 2003.
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."[1]
[edit] NFL career
Harris was the 14th pick of the 2004 NFL draft out of University of Oklahoma. In his last season at Oklahoma, he showed his amazing athletic ability by chasing down University of Texas at Austin wide receiver Roy Williams on a swing pass.
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 ideally suited to coach Lovie Smith's version of the Tampa 2 defense, which relies on quick, agile 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 5 sacks after 4 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 their 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 thirteen match up against the Vikings after sustaining a knee injury. Further medical review determined that Harris had severely injured his hamstring, and may miss the remainder of the 2006 Season [1].
[edit] Personal
Tommie was born to Tommie Sr. and Janie Harris. Harris' father is a Pentacostal preacher, and instilled a strong Christian foundation in his son.
[edit] References
- ^ "Tommy Boy: Standout Oklahoma DT Harris reveals his 'other' side", Kelly King, Sports Illustrated, August 6th, 2002
