Joshua Harris (born September 9, 1982) is a former professional
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
.
College career
During his two years as a starter at
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...
, he led the Falcons to consecutive finishes in the top 25 nationally. During his senior season, he led the Falcons to a victory over Northwestern University in the
Motor City Bowl. Harris finished his college career as the school leader in rushing touchdowns (43), and is third in passing yards (7,503) and passing touchdowns. At the time, he and
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El (; born August 17, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former player who currently serves as the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football L ...
were the only two quarterbacks to have ever thrown for 40 touchdowns and rushed for 40 touchdowns in their careers in
NCAA Division I FBS
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
history.
He was the first quarterback to help popularize
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...
's spread option offense.
*2001: 81/132 for 1,022 yards with 9 TD vs 3 INT. 129 carries for 600 yards and 8 TD.
*2002: 198/353 for 2,425 yards with 19 TD vs 11 INT. 186 carries for 737 yards and 20 TD.
*2003: 325/494 for 3,813 yards with 27 TD vs 12 INT. 215 carries for 830 yards and 13 TD.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
Josh was originally drafted in the sixth round by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in the
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 from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...
.
Cleveland Browns
After a brief stay in Baltimore he went on to the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
for 2 seasons before he was released.
Calgary Stampeders
He signed with the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
's
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...
, in 2005. He had 5 carries for 40 yards, and never had a pass attempt.
New York Giants
He was later picked up by the
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 ...
. On July 7, 2006, he was released by the Giants.
Columbus Destroyers
He also played for the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
's
Columbus Destroyers. He made a pivotal play in the AFL conference championship against the
Georgia Force
The Georgia Force was an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States (part of suburban Atlanta) that played in the South Division of the American Conference. The team was owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn ...
, with a key block that allowed for the winning score.
Retirement
He retired from professional football in 2008 to focus on his advertising company, Joshua1and5.
Marion Blue Racers
He came out of retirement in 2011 to play for the
Marion Blue Racers. In their first game, he ran for the game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds remaining. It was also the expansion franchise's first victory. He led his team to an 8–2 regular season record and a 2nd-place finish in the CIFL. He also led them to the
CIFL Championship Game, where they lost 44–29 to the
Cincinnati Commandos. Harris has re-signed with the Blue Racers, who have moved to the
United Indoor Football League
The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...
for the 2012 season.
Statistics
Through end of the 2011 season, Harris' Indoor Football statistics are as follows:
Personal life
He is the son of former NFL player
M.L. Harris. He is married to his wife Tamara and they have 2 sons. Currently, Josh is the President and CEO of Freedom Direct LLC a final expense life insurance call center.
Family doesn't take backseat for Harris
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See also
* List of Arena Football League and National Football League players
References
*http://bgsufalcons.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/harris_josh00.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Josh
1982 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Bowling Green Falcons football players
Marion Blue Racers players
Calgary Stampeders players
Cleveland Browns players
New York Giants players
Baltimore Ravens players
Columbus Destroyers players