“To live in hearts we leave behind,

is not to die.”

Sunrise -

Sunset - January 7, 2025

“Chick” Harris came to NAU from Long Beach, he played starting Cornerback on defense and running back on offense for NAU in 1967-68.

     “Chick” started his lengthy career as an NFL running backs coach with the Buffalo Bills.

     Harris got his coaching break in the NFL when Chuck Knox hired him in Buffalo in 1981. Harris would then follow Knox to the Seattle Seahawks and to the Los Angeles Rams, and it was with the Rams that Harris was elevated to offensive coordinator.

     Harris spent 33 years in the NFL as an assistant coach, with his longest stint coming in Houston where worked for Dom Capers and served as the new expansion team's first-ever running backs coach. He stayed on with the Texans until 2014, having coached in the league to age 68.

     During his NFL time, Harris helped guide a series of successful 1,000-yard rushers, including Jerome Bettis, Ahman Green and Arian Foster. Foster told the Houston Chronicle in 2013, “He understands his players, he knows I’m a little bit of a deep thinker so he comes at me that way. Too many coaches have a one-size-fits-all mentality. He really (pays attention) to his players' personalities. He’s been around so long. He’s got so much experience. He’s seen it all. It’s great to have somebody like that on your side.”

     Harris is a Hall of Famer at both Long Beach City College and Northern Arizona University.