Tuff Chester David Harris (born January 23, 1983) is a former

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 ...

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 signed by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2007. 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 ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

from 2003 to 2006. Harris has also been a member of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, and

Early life

Harris was born in

Crow Agency, Montana Crow Agency () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Battle of the Lit ...

. He grew up in

Lodge Grass, Montana Lodge Grass () is a town in Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 441 at the 2020 census. It is at the confluence of Lodge Grass Creek and the Little Bighorn River, on the Crow Indian Reservation. Source and derivation o ...

, also known as the Valley of the Chiefs. He is a member of the

Crow Nation The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (), are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation, the Crow Indian Reservati ...

. His parents, Jerry and Melody Harris, excelled in track and helped to coach at Lodge Grass High School. His sister Jerilyn Harris was a state champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes. During his years at Lodge Grass High School, Harris played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track. His mother was an assistant coach for the track and field team. Harris's family moved to Colstrip after his sophomore year. After moving from Lodge Grass to Colstrip, Harris continued playing football, basketball, and track for the Colstrip Colts. In 2001, Tuff set an all-class Montana high school state record in the 100-meter dash.

College career

After graduating in 2002, Harris went to school at the University of Montana and was a four-year starter at cornerback for the Grizzlies and set school and BigSky records as a punt returner (including longest return, most return yards in one game, and most yards in a season).

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

After going undrafted in the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

, Harris was signed by the

as an

on May 3. He was waived during final cuts on September 1 and 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 ...

, where he remained until being promoted to the active roster on November 14. He made his NFL debut in the regular season finale against the

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 ...

on December 30. Harris was waived by the Dolphins the following offseason on April 24, 2008.

New Orleans Saints

The

signed Harris on May 27, 2008. He was released by the team on July 30 due to ankle injuries.

Tennessee Titans

Harris was signed by the

on August 19, 2008. He was waived on August 29 and re-signed to the team's

on September 1. Harris was signed from the practice squad to the active roster on November 22 after

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 ...

Reynaldo Hill Reynaldo Romel Hill (born August 28, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the early 2000s. Hill played college football for the Florida Gat ...

and Eric King were placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. The Titans waived Harris on September 4, 2009.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Harris was signed to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

practice squad on September 7, 2009. He was signed to active roster on January 6, 2010. Pittsburgh waived Harris on August 8, 2010.

Personal life

Tuff is married to Mary (Hasselberg) Harris. Mary is from

Staples, Minnesota Staples is a city in Todd and Wadena counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,989 at the 2020 census. History Staples developed around a sawmill. The settlement was originally called Staples Mill, and under the latter na ...

. The two met while Mary was playing golf at the University of Montana and Tuff was on the football team. Tuff is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation (Crow Tribe) and is also of Northern Cheyenne descent. He played with deering Junior high football he played with the Springfield family in Lodge Grass Montana.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Tuff 1983 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Edmonton Elks players Miami Dolphins players Montana Grizzlies football players Native American players of American football New Orleans Saints players People from Crow Agency, Montana Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Montana Tennessee Titans players People from Lodge Grass, Montana Players of Canadian football from Montana