NFL trailblazer James Harris still forging path for Black players

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFL Writer

Editor's note: This story is part of FOX Sports' series celebrating Black History Month.

One of the first Black quarterbacks to play in the National Football League, James "Shack" Harris helped open the door for other players, such as Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson, to step through and shine in today’s league.

It’s only appropriate that Harris continues his work to help those like him seek a chance to play football professionally.

The first Black quarterback to start a season opener (1969) and NFL playoff game (1974), the now 74-year-old Harris is working to carve out opportunities for players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the creation of the HBCU Legacy Bowl.

Established along with Harris’ fellow Grambling State alum Doug Williams — the first Black QB to win Super Bowl MVP, leading Washington to a victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII — the Legacy Bowl took place last weekend in New Orleans, providing a venue for NFL scouts to evaluate under-the-radar athletes from HBCUs.

"He’s someone that made the transition for someone like me to come and play," Mahomes said of Harris during the game. "And then Doug Williams obviously as the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, those two guys laid the foundation for me to be who I am today. And I’ll never forget that."

Harris said one impetus for creating the game was the fact that only one player from HBCUs was selected in the NFL Draft the past two years. 

However, Deion Sanders’ recent run as head coach at Jackson State and his ability to recruit nationally have already helped change the perception of the talent at HBCUs.

"We know that there are players in HBCU football that can play or should get an opportunity to play," Harris said. "We came up with the idea of the Legacy Bowl so we could give them an opportunity for scouts to get a look at them in competition from all the schools and showcase their talent.

"That’s what the HBCU experience is all about. We have a strong fraternity. We develop fellowships and friendships that last for a lifetime. My four years at Grambling were four of the best years in my life. As I travel around the country and see other graduates — not only from Grambling but other HBCU schools — you see so many people that are doing well in many decision-making capacities. So if we can get an opportunity to help some others, then it’s well worth it."

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and blessed with a strong arm and fleet feet, Harris had the measurables NFL scouts coveted coming out of college in 1969. He led Grambling to three Southwestern Athletic Conference titles but tumbled down the draft board after he declined to make a position change to receiver. He was selected in the eighth round by the Buffalo Bills.

Harris then had to climb his way from last among seven quarterbacks on the depth chart while staying at the local YMCA in Buffalo, but he earned the starting job for the Bills' season opener. That began a roller-coaster, 10-year career in the NFL that saw him bounce among three teams in the league.

He played three seasons with the Bills, four in Los Angeles with the Rams and finished his NFL career playing three seasons for the San Diego Chargers.

"The game has changed," Harris said. "The athletes are bigger, faster and stronger. They’re throwing the ball a lot more and scoring a lot more points."

In all, Harris compiled a 25-16 record and finished with 8,136 career passing yards, 45 touchdown passes and 59 interceptions. He made four playoff appearances with the Rams and was voted to a Pro Bowl.

"Let me tell you about James Harris," Williams told ESPN’s The Undefeated. "I have an older brother, but James Harris served as my older brother. And it’s unfortunate that Shack has not gotten the recognition he so rightly deserves. Because when we talk about pioneers at the quarterback position, a lot of people are quick to give me that title, [but] I say that the James Harrises of the world are the true pioneers."

After his playing days, Harris went on to have a successful career as an NFL personnel executive.

He started as a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1987 to 1992 and then worked as an assistant general manager for the New York Jets from 1993 to 1996.

He served as a director of pro personnel for the Baltimore Ravens from 1997 to 2002 — earning a Super Bowl ring after the 2000 regular season — and worked as vice president of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to '08.

Harris finished his time in the NFL by serving as a senior personnel advisor for the Detroit Lions for six seasons, during which Lions general manager Martin Mayhew drafted Matthew Stafford.

Harris was at this season's NFC Championship to award Rams owner Stan Kroenke the George Halas trophy. He was pleased to see his former team win the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks later.

"I thought it was a great win," Harris said. "I was an excited for the L.A. Rams. Certainly, being a former player of theirs, it was a great Sunday, a great Super Bowl. And to see them win the game and become world champions, it means a lot because that’s a team I’m familiar with in a city I played in."

Much like he spent time toiling in the NFL as a player, Harris sees a similar struggle for Black coaches trying to earn head-coaching gigs in the NFL: too few opportunities. 

During the NFL's opening weekend last season, nine of the 32 teams featured Black starting quarterbacks, but just three Black head coaches (of five minority head coaches) will start the new season in a league that’s nearly 70% Black.

Recently fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in the league’s hiring practices. This week, Flores was hired as a defensive senior assistant by the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, one of three Black head coaches in the NFL. However, Flores said his lawsuit will continue.

"I don’t see it the same because with the quarterbacks, back then the NFL just said no," Harris said. "They were denied an opportunity. And now it’s kind of like a tease. They’re interviewing coaches but not hiring them. The result is the same, except at one time, no Black quarterbacks were really getting a chance to play, and then they gradually got an opportunity to start playing."

And some of that is due to Harris and the way he changed the game.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.