Chris Harris (born August 6, 1982) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and former

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

who is the

defensive backs coach In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He 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 sixth round of the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 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 NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

after playing

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 the

University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Cen ...

. Harris also played with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

College career

Harris attended college at

Louisiana-Monroe The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Ce ...

. After redshirting the 2000 season, he was a four-year starter from 2001–2004.

Professional career

First stint with Bears

As a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

Harris won the starting role for the

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 ...

position over Mike Green early in the season. In the 2006 preseason, Harris made a statement to a fan, Bryan Lange, that if the Bears made the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

he would give him a ticket. In January, his statement caused a minor controversy when the Bears did in fact qualify for

Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

. Lange stood outside of Bears team headquarters holding a sign saying "Chris Harris, you promised." Harris claimed that he was joking and would not be able to fulfill the request due to family ticket obligations. Ticket brokerage firm ''sitclose.com'' later gave Lange a ticket, quieting the controversy. Harris intercepted a pass from Colts quarterback

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

in the first quarter of the game; however, the Bears would go on to lose the game 29–17.

Carolina Panthers

Harris was traded to the

on August 2, 2007 for a 2008 5th round draft pick. Harris started 15 games in 2007 finishing with 101 tackles, and also setting a team record as he led the league with eight forced fumbles. In 2008, the Panthers rewarded Harris with a four-year contract extension. He finished the 2008 season with 70 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception.

Chicago Bears (second stint)

On April 27, 2010, Harris was dealt back to the Bears in exchange for linebacker

Jamar Williams Jamar Williams (born June 14, 1984) is a former gridiron football linebacker. Williams played at Arizona State University. Originally from Houston, TX, he attended Langham Creek High School. He graduated as a member of the 4-year National Honor ...

. In his first season back in Chicago, Harris recorded 70 tackles and a career-high five interceptions that he returned for 69 yards. In week 12, he was the first player of the season to intercept a

Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's firs ...

pass as he picked off Vick in Chicago's end zone to help the Bears beat the Eagles 31–26. Following his performance during the 2010 season, Harris received his first

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

-selection. On October 27, 2011, Harris was released by the Bears.

Detroit Lions

The

claimed him off waivers on October 28, 2011.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Harris was signed by the

on October 15, 2012. He was later released on November 28. On January 26, 2013, Harris announced his retirement.

Coaching career

Chicago Bears

On January 28, 2013 Harris was hired by the Bears as a defensive quality control coach. He was not retained by new Bears head coach John Fox in 2015.

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

Harris joined the San Diego Chargers as their assistant defensive backs coach in 2016, and remained with the team when they moved to Los Angeles and became the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Harris joined the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

as their defensive backs coach in 2020.

References

External links

Official websiteWashington Commanders profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Chris 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas Players of American football from Arkansas American football safeties Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football players Chicago Bears players Carolina Panthers players Detroit Lions players Jacksonville Jaguars players San Diego Chargers coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches Washington Commanders coaches Washington Football Team coaches