John Edward Harris (born June 13, 1956) 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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. He was selected by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

in the seventh round of the

1978 NFL draft The 1978 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 May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hotel ...

. 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 ...

for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

. Harris also played for 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 ...

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Harris was drafted by the

in the seventh round of the

. He played eight years for the team from 1978 to 1985. During that time he started 111 of 119 games and had 41

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

, returning two for

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. In 1981 he had a team high 10 interceptions, 2 of which he returned for touchdowns. Harris had four seasons with the

in which he would have 6 interceptions or more.

Minnesota Vikings

In 1986 Harris was traded to the

.SEAHAWKS DEAL HARRIS TO VIKES
/ref> He played three years for the team from 1986 to 1988. During that time he started 37 of 41 games, recording nine interceptions and two sacks. After the 1988 season Harris retired after 11 years in the NFL. He finished his career starting 148 of 160 games, recording 50 interceptions, two touchdowns, a sack, and 12

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recoveries.

References

External links

Pro Football Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, John 1955 births Living people Players of American football from Columbus, Georgia Miami Jackson Senior High School alumni American football safeties Arizona State Sun Devils football players Seattle Seahawks players Minnesota Vikings players Players of American football from Miami