Leo A. Harris (August 6, 1904 – April 22, 1990) was an American athlete, coach, and athletic director. 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 ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, coached football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

at Fresno State College, and was the first athletic director for the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, bringing success to a financially troubled system. He was also known for his handshake deal with

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

that permitted the University of Oregon to use the likeness of

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...

as the basis for its mascot, the Oregon Duck.

Playing and coaching career

Harris was a fullback and guard at Santa Cruz High School in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

. He attended

, where he played tackle for legendary coach "Pop" Warner in 1925 and 1926. Following his collegiate playing career, Harris was football coach at Fresno State College from 1933 to 1935, winning Far West Conference championships the last two years. Harris also coached Fresno State's

program.

Oregon's first athletic director

In 1947, Harris was named athletic director at the University of Oregon, the first person to hold that title. At that time, Oregon's athletic department was in serious financial trouble. Through fundraising and careful planning, Harris expanded both the quality of the University's athletic programs as well as its facilities. His most significant achievement was the construction of a new football stadium to replace aging Hayward Field. His efforts, beginning with procurement of property across the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

from campus and continuing with fundraising and governmental negotiations, resulted in the construction of Autzen Stadium, completed in 1967. Harris also oversaw expansion of McArthur Court and improvements to Hayward Field and the baseball team's Howe Field. Harris was also noted for striking a handshake deal with

in 1947 that allowed Oregon to use the likeness of

as the University's athletic mascot, '' The Oregon Duck''. When

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

lawyers in the 1970s discovered that no written contract existed, the university produced a photograph of Harris alongside Walt Disney wearing a Donald-emblazoned Oregon jacket as proof that an agreement did exist. From that photo evidence, a formal contract licensing Donald's use by the university was created.

Legacy

Harris served as Oregon's athletic director for 20 years, stepping down in 1967, shortly before Autzen Stadium was completed. Today, the stadium's address is on Leo Harris Parkway. Harris died at his

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

retirement home in 1990. He was inducted into the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year.

Head coaching record

Football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Leo 1904 births 1990 deaths Basketball coaches from California Fresno State Bulldogs football coaches Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball coaches Oregon Ducks athletic directors Stanford Cardinal football players Sportspeople from Santa Cruz, California Players of American football from Santa Cruz County, California Santa Cruz High School alumni