Cary Harris (born March 22, 1987) 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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He was selected by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in the sixth round of the

2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

as a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. Harris was also a member of 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 ...

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, and

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

Early life

Harris prepped at Notre Dame High School in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density ...

where he played running back and cornerback and ran a 10.75 100 meter dash in track.

College career

Harris was a three-year starter between 2006 and 2008. He played reserve in 2005. He was a two-time All-Pac-10 honorable mention player in 2007 and 2008 and was considered a top cornerback for the

. Harris was one of twelve USC players invited to the 2009

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

that season.Ted Miller
Pac-10 NFL combine invitees
, ESPN.com, February 2, 2009, Accessed February 2, 2009.

Professional football

Buffalo Bills

Harris was drafted by the

in the sixth round (183rd overall) of the

. He was waived during final cuts on September 5, 2009, but was re-signed to the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 6. He was promoted to the active roster on November 20, and recorded two interceptions in the final game of the 2009 season against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. He was re-signed on March 29, 2010. He was released by the Bills on October 22, 2010, and worked out for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

shortly afterward, but was not offered a contract.

Minnesota Vikings

On November 24, 2010, Harris was signed to the

' practice squad, but was released on December 1.

Cincinnati Bengals

Harris was signed to the

' practice squad on December 14, 2010.

New York Giants

Harris signed a reserve/future contract with the

on January 13, 2011. He was waived/injured on August 16 and later reverted to injured reserve. He was released with an injury settlement on August 28.

Edmonton Eskimos

Harris later signed with the

. He was released on June 23, 2013.

Coaching career

Harris currently is the head football coach at

Calabasas High School Calabasas High School is a four-year high school in Calabasas, California, United States. Calabasas High School, which serves Calabasas, Bell Canyon, and portions of West Hills, Los Angeles, is one of three high schools in the Las Virgenes Un ...

, (

Calabasas, California Calabasas (, ; Spanish language in California, Spanish for "winter squash, squashes") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States.Cincinnati Bengals bioMinnesota Vikings bioBuffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Cary 1987 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Buffalo Bills players Cincinnati Bengals players Edmonton Elks players Minnesota Vikings players New York Giants players People from Pacoima, Los Angeles Players of American football from Los Angeles USC Trojans football players Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles Canadian football defensive backs High school football coaches in California Coaches of American football from California