Cory Nicholas Harkey (born June 17, 1990) is a former
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 wi ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
and coach who is the assistant special teams coach for the
Buffalo Bills 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 signed by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...
in 2012 and played
college football at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
. He is currently an assistant coach for the
Buffalo Bills.
College career
After attending
Chino Hills High School
Chino Hills High School, abbreviated CHHS, is located in Chino Hills, California, United States and is a public comprehensive high school serving a student body from three cities in the Chino Valley Unified School District. The school was establ ...
, he played
college football at UCLA, and played in every game of his college career. He started seven games during his freshman season and was used primarily as a blocker, although he did have five catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. He once again was used almost exclusively as a blocker during his sophomore year, starting four games out of double tight-end formations, totaling eight receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. During Harkey's junior year, he started every game for the Bruins, having his most productive year as a receiver. He finished fifth on the team in receptions, having 14 catches for 140 yards. Harkey once again started every game for the team during his senior year; however, he had only one reception for 10 yards. Following the season, the Bruins coaching staff awarded Harkey the Jerry Long "Heart" Award and Kenneth S. Washington Award for Outstanding Senior of the Year.
Professional career
Harkey was invited to the 2012
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
.
On May 8, 2012, he was signed by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...
. At the conclusion of 2012 training camp, Harkey was released and placed on the Rams practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 17, 2012, taking the roster place of
Kellen Heard, who had been released the previous week. Harkey dressed in his first game on the roster and was targeted once. He scored his first touchdown against the
Houston Texans on October 13, 2013.
Harkey has been frequently utilized as a
fullback with the
Rams
In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player
Mike Harkey, who is currently the bullpen coach for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
. He says that former
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
and
Atlanta Falcons tight end
Tony Gonzalez
Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader ...
is his biggest inspiration as a player.
References
External links
Tennessee State profileAzusa Pacific profileUCLA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkey, Cory
1990 births
Living people
American football tight ends
Azusa Pacific Cougars football coaches
Los Angeles Rams players
St. Louis Rams players
Tennessee State Tigers football coaches
UCLA Bruins football players
Chino Hills High School alumni
People from Chino Hills, California
Coaches of American football from California
Players of American football from San Bernardino County, California
Players of American football from Chicago
African-American coaches of American football
21st-century African-American sportspeople
Buffalo Bills coaches