Atnaf DeShawn Harris
Encyclopedia
Atnaf DeShawn Harris is an arena football
wide receiver
for the Arizona Rattlers
of the Arena Football League. He played college football
at Fresno State
.
In his career, Harris has played for the Houston Texans
, Denver Broncos
, San Jose SaberCats
, and Arizona Rattlers
.
where he recorded 34 receptions
for 667 yards and six touchdown
s as a senior
. He earned First-team All-North Yosemite League honors and named to the Fresno Bees All-Star team.
teammate, for three seasons. He transferred to Cal State-Northridge for his senior season but the school dropped their football program that year. He then went back to Fresno State where he graduated with a degree in Sociology
.
in the NFL, which he was not. However, he did get attention from some pro scouts that were at the Fresno State pro day to watch quarterback
David Carr
, who was chosen first overall by the expansion Houston Texans
, by running a 4.42 40-yard dash and a vertical jump of 43.5".
, Harris was signed by the Houston Texans, whom had drafted his college teammate Carr, on May 22. He spent time on the teams practice squad before being signed to the active roster in November. He played in one regular season game as a rookie, a start in the regular season finale, in which he recorded one receptions for eight yards. After was waived by the Texans in the final cuts before the 2003 season
, and was signed by the Denver Broncos
in December 2003. He then spent the season on the Broncos practice squad, but was waived on August 21, 2004.
after spending the 2006 season
on the San Jose practice squad.
As a rookie in 2007
, Harris played in eight games, starting three, and finished third on the team with 41 receptions and 595 yards and nine touchdowns. His 14.5 yards-per-catch average was first on the team, and was 11th on the Rattlers all-time single season list.
In 2008
, Harris played in just two games, both against his former team, the SaberCats. He recorded six receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two tackles. He was released by the Rattlers after the season.
. He hopes to pursue a career in coaching high school football. He also has a son named Jalen.
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
of the Arena Football League. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Fresno State
Fresno State Bulldogs football
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they...
.
In his career, Harris has played for the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
, and Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
.
High school career
Harris attended Edison High SchoolEdison High School (Fresno, California)
Edison High School is located in Fresno, California, United States, as part of the Fresno Unified School District. It is a public high school located next to Computech Middle School....
where he recorded 34 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 667 yards and six touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s as a senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
. He earned First-team All-North Yosemite League honors and named to the Fresno Bees All-Star team.
College career
Harris played three seasons Fresno State, where he recorded 26 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns in 23 games. He recorded 17 receptions 198 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman. He was a teammate of Rodney Wright, future San Jose SaberCatsSan Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
teammate, for three seasons. He transferred to Cal State-Northridge for his senior season but the school dropped their football program that year. He then went back to Fresno State where he graduated with a degree in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
NFL Draft
Harris was not expected to get draftedDraft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
in the NFL, which he was not. However, he did get attention from some pro scouts that were at the Fresno State pro day to watch quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
David Carr
David Carr
David Duke Carr is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans first overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
, who was chosen first overall by the expansion Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, by running a 4.42 40-yard dash and a vertical jump of 43.5".
National Football League (2002 - 2004)
After going undrafted in the 2002 NFL Draft2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
, Harris was signed by the Houston Texans, whom had drafted his college teammate Carr, on May 22. He spent time on the teams practice squad before being signed to the active roster in November. He played in one regular season game as a rookie, a start in the regular season finale, in which he recorded one receptions for eight yards. After was waived by the Texans in the final cuts before the 2003 season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
, and was signed by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in December 2003. He then spent the season on the Broncos practice squad, but was waived on August 21, 2004.
San Jose SaberCats (2006)
Harris signed to the practice squad of the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League on November 3, 2005, and did not play in any games that season.Arizona Rattlers (2007 - 2008)
He then signed with the Arizona RattlersArizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
after spending the 2006 season
2006 Arena Football League season
The 2006 Arena Football League season was the 20th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Chicago Rush, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl XX....
on the San Jose practice squad.
As a rookie in 2007
2007 Arizona Rattlers season
The 2007 Arizona Rattlers season was the 16th season for the franchise. They looked to make the playoffs after finishing 2006 with an 8-8 record...
, Harris played in eight games, starting three, and finished third on the team with 41 receptions and 595 yards and nine touchdowns. His 14.5 yards-per-catch average was first on the team, and was 11th on the Rattlers all-time single season list.
In 2008
2008 Arizona Rattlers season
The 2008 Arizona Rattlers season is the 17th season for the franchise. The Rattlers finished the regular season 8-8, and made the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the American Conference. They were eliminated from the playoffs in the Wild Card round, losing to the Grand Rapids Rampage, 41-48.-Regular...
, Harris played in just two games, both against his former team, the SaberCats. He recorded six receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two tackles. He was released by the Rattlers after the season.
Personal
Harris enjoys playing video games in his free time, his favorite being Madden NFLMadden NFL
Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...
. He hopes to pursue a career in coaching high school football. He also has a son named Jalen.
External links
- Arizona Rattlers bio
- Stats at ArenaFan
- Stats at Pro Football ReferencePro Football ReferencePro-Football-Reference.com is a website providing a variety of statistics for American football. It is notable for being one of the only sites that provides information on both active and retired players. The site provides statistics for teams dating back to the pre-Super Bowl days...
- Denver Broncos profile at ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...