Tuff Chester David Harris (born January 23, 1983, in

Crow Agency, Montana Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as B ...

) 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 with ...

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 ...

. He was signed by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

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 2007. 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 ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. Harris has also been a member of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, the Tennessee Titans and the

Early years

Harris grew up in

Lodge Grass, Montana Lodge Grass ( cro, Eelalapiío) is a town in Big Horn County, Montana, Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is at the confluence of Lodge Grass Creek and the Little Bigh ...

, also known as the Valley of the Chiefs. He is a member of the

Crow Nation The Crow, whose Exonym and endonym, autonym is Apsáalooke (), also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, th ...

. During his years at Lodge Grass High School, Harris played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track. His mother was an assistant coach for the track and field team. Harris's family moved to

Colstrip Colstrip is a city in Rosebud County, Montana, Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Established in 1924 and incorporated as a city in 1998, Colstrip is the largest city in ...

after his sophomore year. After moving from Lodge Grass to Colstrip, Harris continued playing football, basketball, and track for the Colstrip Colts. In 2001, Tuff set an all-class Montana high school state record in the 100-meter dash.

College career

After graduating in 2002, Harris went to school at the University of Montana and was a four-year starter at cornerback for the Grizzlies and set school and BigSky records as a punt returner (including longest return, most return yards in one game, and most yards in a season).

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, Harris was signed by the

as an

on May 3. He was waived during final cuts on September 1 and re-signed to the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

, where he remained until being promoted to the active roster on November 14. He made his NFL debut in the regular season finale against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

on December 30. Harris was waived by the Dolphins the following offseason on April 24, 2008.

New Orleans Saints

The

signed Harris on May 27, 2008. He was released by the team on July 30 due to ankle injuries.

Tennessee Titans

Harris was signed by the Tennessee Titans on August 19, 2008. He was waived on August 29 and re-signed to the team's

on September 1. Harris was signed from the practice squad to the active roster on November 22 after

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

s Reynaldo Hill and Eric King were placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. The Titans waived Harris on September 4, 2009.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Harris was signed to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

practice squad on September 7, 2009. He was signed to active roster on January 6, 2010. Pittsburgh waived Harris on August 8, 2010.

Personal life

Tuff is married to Mary (Hasselberg) Harris. Mary is from Staples, Minnesota. The two met while Mary was playing golf at the University of Montana and Tuff was on the football team. Tuff is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation (Crow Tribe) and is also of Northern Cheyenne descent. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Tuff 1983 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Edmonton Elks players Miami Dolphins players Montana Grizzlies football players Native American sportspeople New Orleans Saints players People from Crow Agency, Montana Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Montana Tennessee Titans players People from Lodge Grass, Montana