Walter Lee Harris (born August 10, 1974) is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

and was drafted by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the first round (13th overall) in the

1996 NFL Draft The 1996 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 April 20–21, 1996, at the Paramount ...

. He played for the Bears for six years and was then signed as a free agent by 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in 2002. He then signed with Washington Redskins in 2004. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 where he earned his 1st trip to the Pro Bowl. Harris signed with the 49ers in 2006, where he led the team with a career-high eight interceptions. He was awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Month in November 2006. Harris was also selected to represent the

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference ...

(NFC) in the

2007 Pro Bowl The 2007 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2006 season. The game took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super B ...

, in place of injured Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard. Harris blocked an extra point in a 17-16 LaGrange High School victory against Colquitt County in the 1991 AAAA state championship game, a win that led LaGrange High School to be named national champion by USA Today.

College career

Harris emerged as starter at

as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

at cornerback/

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

and played in ten games, including starts in the final three games. As a sophomore, he earned All- SEC (second-team) honors and started every game. That season, he tied the school seasonal record with six interceptions. Harris was an Associated Press and Coaches First-team All-SEC while starting every game at cornerback as junior. That season, he was ranked third in SEC and fifth in nation with six interceptions, led the team with 12

passes defensed In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

, and recovered two

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 ...

s and blocked two kicks. As a senior, he had four interceptions and eight passes defensed, played in the Senior Bowl, and was selected First-team All-SEC. Harris earned All-SEC honors in the final three seasons at Mississippi State. As a four-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

, he shares the Mississippi State career interception record with

Johnthan Banks Johnthan Shuntay Banks (born October 3, 1989) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Mississippi State Bulldogs football, Mississippi State, where he received All-America honors. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay ...

at 16. In 2018, Harris and Art Davis were enshrined into Mississippi State football's "Ring of Honor" adding their names to the facade of Davis Wade Stadium. They joined former Bulldog greats Jack Cristil, Jackie Parker, Shorty McWilliams, D.D. Lewis, Kent Hull, Johnie Cooks, and Joe Fortunato.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Harris was selected by the

in the first round (13th overall) in the

. In his rookie season, Harris made 13 starts and recorded a career-high 113 tackles along with two interceptions and two forced fumbles. The following season, he started in all 16 games for the first time in his career and finished the season with 95 tackles and five interceptions. By the time the 1998 season started, Harris was a firmly established member of the team and a consistent starter. From the 1998 season until the end of the 2000 season, he started every game. The 1998 season finished with 85 tackles and four interceptions. In 1999, his fourth for the Bears, Harris made 71 tackles and one interception. The 2000 season saw Harris make 58 tackles and two interceptions. In 2001, his last for the

, Harris made 50 tackles and one interception.

Indianapolis Colts

Harris was signed by the

on March 18, 2002 as an unrestricted free agent. In his first season with the Colts he started 15 games and made 43 tackles and two interceptions. In his final year for the Colts, Harris made 55 tackles.

Washington Redskins

Harris was signed by the Washington Redskins as a free agent on March 18, 2004. In his first season with the Redskins, he played in 16 games recording 21 tackles and two interceptions. In 2005, his final year for the Redskins Harris finished the season with 57 tackles and one interception.

San Francisco 49ers

Harris was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent on March 15, 2006. In his debut season with the 49ers, he made 60 tackles, one sack, a career-high eight interceptions, and a 42-yard interception for a touchdown. That earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl. In the 2008 season, he recorded 49 tackles, one sack, and three interceptions (as of December 7, 2008).http://www.nfl.com/players/waltharris/profile?id=HAR550409} Stats courtesy of NFL.com Harris missed the entire 2009 football season after tearing his ACL in 49er organized team activities (OTAs).

NFL statistics

Personal life

Harris attended LaGrange High School and was All-America honorable mention by '' USA Today''. His team compiled a 34-6 record in his final three years. He also was a

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

hurdler. He teamed with Thomas Smith to organize ticket donation program called "Corner to Corner" in first season with the Bears that provides tickets for each home game to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago. The program included an on-field visit before each game and visits by Harris and Smith to clubs throughout the season. He partnered with fellow members of Bears secondary and

Meals on Wheels Meals on Wheels is a programme that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programmes, not all of which are actually named ...

in 2000 to "Intercept Hunger" with meal donations being made based on participating players’ performances each game. Harris and his wife, Trina, have four children: Courtney, London, Summer and Brandon.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Walt 1974 births Living people People from LaGrange, Georgia American football cornerbacks National Conference Pro Bowl players Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Chicago Bears players Indianapolis Colts players Washington Redskins players San Francisco 49ers players Baltimore Ravens players