Nicholas John Harris (born July 23, 1978) 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 ...

punter. He played college football at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, where he set the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

record for career punting yardage and earned All-American honors. The

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

chose him in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and he has played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions,

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 pla ...

, and

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. ...

of the NFL.

Early life and education

Harris was born in Avondale, Arizona. He attended Westview High School in Avondale, where he played for the Westview Knights

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team. He earned National Coaches' Association All-America honors as a senior with 42.3-yard punting average. He Also earned prep all-state honors as a linebacker and saw action on offense as a receiver and a rusher. He was also an All-state prep soccer player as well. Harris attended the University of California, where he played for the California Golden Bears football team from 1997 to 2000. He averaged 42.3 yards per punt, and his 13,621 total yards was an NCAA record. His 322 career punts is also an NCAA record. As a junior in 1999, he had a 44.7 yard average. As a senior in 2000, he was recognized as consensus first-team All-American. Harris graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in American studies and later with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in education.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Harris was drafted in the 4th round by the Denver Broncos, where he was later waived.

Cincinnati Bengals

In 2001, the Bengals signed him off of waivers. He was released during the 2003 season.

Detroit Lions

The Lions signed Harris October 14, 2003 as a replacement for the injured

John Jett John Jett (born November 11, 1968) is a former American football punter in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions. He played college football for East Carolina University. Jett won two Super Bowl rings with the ...

and he established himself as the Lions punter for the remainder of the season. In 2005, he was named the Special Teams MVP by The Detroit Lions Quarterback Club, the official booster club of the Lions. On September 3, 2011, Harris was released by the Detroit Lions in favor for

Ryan Donahue Ryan Donahue (born March 17, 1988) is a former American football punter. He was signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, ...

Jacksonville Jaguars

On October 11, 2011, he signed with the

. On April 28, 2012, the Jacksonville Jaguars released Harris.

Carolina Panthers

Harris signed with the Carolina Panthers on May 7, 2012. He was released on August 27, 2012.

Second stint with the Detroit Lions

Harris was signed by the Detroit Lions, for a second time, on September 25, 2012. The signing came after Ben Graham was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.

Life after football

Following his football career, Nick Harris earned a Masters of Divinity degree in Christian Theology. In 2015, he began a teaching career at Berean Christian High School in Walnut Creek, California, serving as a Church History and Hermeneutics teacher. In 2019, Harris was hired as the school's principal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Nick 1978 births Living people People from Avondale, Arizona Sportspeople from the Phoenix metropolitan area Players of American football from Arizona American football punters California Golden Bears football players All-American college football players Denver Broncos players Cincinnati Bengals players Detroit Lions players Jacksonville Jaguars players Carolina Panthers players