CATCHING UP WITH LEE HARRIS

Former Fresno State wide receiver Lee Harris played for Jim Sweeney’s Bulldogs from 1989 to 1993. He also spent time with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, playing with some of the games’ greats. Today, Harris is a police officer for the Fresno Police Department. VSP Senior Writer George Takata caught up with officer Harris to re-live some of those terrific football memories.

GEORGE TAKATA: How long have you been on the police force?
LEE HARRIS: I’ve been on the force for about nine and a half years now.

GT: Can you believe it’s been over ten years since you played football at Fresno State?
LH: It’s gone by pretty fast. You’re playing college football one day, the next day you’re playing in Kansas City and having the opportunity to play with Joe Montana, Marcus Allen and Derrick Thomas. It goes by so fast. If you blink, you’ll miss it.

GT: What was it like playing with all those legends with the Chiefs?
LH: It was awesome. Just to be around Joe Montana, who’s a legend. I grew up watching him play. Marcus Allen is a tremendous guy who I learned a lot from. He shared a lot of his knowledge with me. Just watching those guys play in the latter part of their careers was amazing for me.

GT: How did you know law enforcement was going to be your next career after football?
LH: Well, I grew up on the west side of Fresno. There were several officers that would come around that I looked up to as good role models, so I knew after God blessed me to play football at Fresno State and going to the pros I knew there was a second part of life. I wanted to make a difference in young kids’ lives so no better way in doing it than being a police officer.

GT: What did it mean to you to be able to play college football at home?
LH: It meant everything. My grandmother was the one who raised me. During my years at Fresno State she started getting sick so it was real good for me to be able to play in front of her and for her to watch me play in her later years so that was awesome.

GT: What are some of your fondest memories as a Bulldog?
LH: The camaraderie I had with the guys. Lorenzo Neal. David Dunn. Charlie Jones. Malcolm Seabron. Mark Barsotti. Trent Dilfer. Just being around those guys and being together, growing at the same time and sharing that experience. And of course having a coach like Jim Sweeney is never less than exciting!

GT: What was it like winning the Freedom Bowl over USC?
LH: Wow. To win that Freedom Bowl was something our program had never seen. USC was a powerhouse as they usually are every year, and to beat them because they were talking so big was huge. They did not want to give Fresno State any credit. They said were were a country town, a country team so these country boys showed the city boys how to play football. That made it feel extra good.

GT: What was it like playing with Trent Dilfer?
LH: Trent was awesome. Trent was the guy that you could go to in the huddle and talk about plays and he would put you on the spot. He would tell you, ‘Lee, I’m going to you on this play,’ and you had to be ready. Trent and I came in at the same time so we were able to grow together and learn from each other.

GT: Is there any wide receiver that’s played for Fresno State that reminds you of you?
LH: Of course Bernard Berrian. He had more way more speed than I had but he’s lanky, tall and able to jump, a lot of the qualities that I had. He just had the exceptional speed that I didn’t have!

GT: Do you keep track of the Bulldogs today?
LH: I do. I think Coach Hill is putting together a program that people in the valley can be proud of. We’re playing a lot of big powerhouse teams and we have to be ready to step up to the plate like dogs do.

GT: What was the biggest catch you’ve ever made?
LH: I think it had to be a preseason game against the Oilers. It came down to the fourth quarter and they had us by three points with 30 seconds to go. I go into the huddle and Alex Van Pelt does the same thing to be Trent used to do, ‘Hey Lee, I’m going to you.’ Caught the ball, turned it upfield and scored the game winning touchdown. That was real nice for me. I got a lot of play on ESPN’s Sportscenter. I think that was the best catch that I can remember. That really did it for me.

GT: What happened after that?
LH: Unfortunately, I got hurt and they sent me to NFL Europe. I had fun there. I went a lot of places that I would have never gone before: Amsterdam, London, all parts of Germany. I got to see different cultures so it was great to play with the other pros that were there and start that part of our career.

GT: What were the injuries you sustained during your career?
LH: Chronic hamstring problems. Broken ribs. Broken foot. I just couldn’t escape the injury bug. But I wouldn’t trade the experience of playing pro football for the world. It’s something I’ll never forget.

THIS AND THAT: Married with two kids… played with Chiefs in 1994… played for the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe… last year in pro football was during the 95-96 season.

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