Walt Harris
Encyclopedia
Walt Harris is a former American football
player and coach in the United States
. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California
from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh
from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University
from 2005 to 2006, compiling a career college football
record of 69–85.
in South San Francisco, California. Harris received a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master's degree in 1969 from the University of the Pacific, where he played college football
.
Harris served as offensive coordinator at Tennessee under Johnny Majors
, helping the Volunteers win four of five bowl games while there. In 1989, he became head coach at the University of the Pacific. As head coach of Pacific, his staff included future NFL head coaches Jon Gruden
and Hue Jackson
.
Harris was the quarterbacks coach for the New York Jets
from 1992 to 1994. A noted quarterback tutor, he helped Boomer Esiason
return to form and earn a trip to the 1993 Pro Bowl
.
In 1997 Harris won Big East Coach of the Year honors when he led his team to the Liberty Bowl, the first postseason game since 1989. Harris led the Panthers to back-to-back 7-5 seasons and bowl appearances in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, Pittsburgh finished 9-4 after beating Oregon State, 38-13, in the Insight Bowl
. That year he won the American Football Coaches Foundation (AFCA) Region I Coach of the Year. The Panthers went 8-5 after losing to Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl in 2003.
Notably, he coached both Antonio Bryant
and Larry Fitzgerald
to the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top wide receiver.
In 2004, Harris led the Panthers to their first BCS bowl game in school history. Pitt lost to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl that season. Despite winning the Big East Coach of the Year award, Harris was pushed out of Pittsburgh. After Harris left, Pitt did not make another bowl game for four years.
. In his first season as head coach there he posted a record of 5–6. In his second season
as head coach the team posted a 1–11 record, the school's worst since going 0–10 in 1960
. He was fired on December 4, 2006, two days after Stanford's abysmal regular season ended. By the end of his tenure at Stanford, Harris had surpassed Jack Curtice
with the lowest winning percentage in the history of Stanford football
, with a 26.1% record.
coaching staff as quarterback's coach/passing game coordinator, but the team struggled and head coach J. D. Brookhart
lost his job at the end of the year.
In April 2010, Harris became the offensive coordinator at Division II California University of Pennsylvania. He was replaced after one season.
Harris also has a questionable history of play calling, particularly when it comes to his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh. In a controversial series of calls he had Tyler Palko
quarterback punt on third down a number of times in a 2004 game against Nebraska which the Panthers lost. Harris was also criticized after the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl
for under-utilizing Heisman Trophy
runner-up and eventual third overall NFL draft pick
Larry Fitzgerald
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
from 2005 to 2006, compiling a career 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...
record of 69–85.
Playing and coaching career
Harris attended El Camino High SchoolEl Camino High School (South San Francisco)
El Camino High School is a four-year American public high school located in South San Francisco, California, directly adjacent to the South San Francisco BART Station...
in South San Francisco, California. Harris received a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master's degree in 1969 from the University of the Pacific, where 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...
.
Harris served as offensive coordinator at Tennessee under Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
, helping the Volunteers win four of five bowl games while there. In 1989, he became head coach at the University of the Pacific. As head coach of Pacific, his staff included future NFL head coaches Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden is an American football analyst and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven seasons and prior to that the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. In his first year as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders whom he had...
and Hue Jackson
Hue Jackson
Hue Jackson is an American football coach who is currently head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League after previously serving as the team's offensive coordinator in 2010....
.
Harris was the quarterbacks coach for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1992 to 1994. A noted quarterback tutor, he helped Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
return to form and earn a trip to the 1993 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
.
Pittsburgh
When Harris took over at the University of Pittsburgh in 1997, the football program was in decline. They had won just 12 games in the previous four seasons. He eventually led Pitt to five consecutive bowl games.In 1997 Harris won Big East Coach of the Year honors when he led his team to the Liberty Bowl, the first postseason game since 1989. Harris led the Panthers to back-to-back 7-5 seasons and bowl appearances in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, Pittsburgh finished 9-4 after beating Oregon State, 38-13, in the Insight Bowl
Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium...
. That year he won the American Football Coaches Foundation (AFCA) Region I Coach of the Year. The Panthers went 8-5 after losing to Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl in 2003.
Notably, he coached both Antonio Bryant
Antonio Bryant
Antonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
and Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
to the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top wide receiver.
In 2004, Harris led the Panthers to their first BCS bowl game in school history. Pitt lost to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl that season. Despite winning the Big East Coach of the Year award, Harris was pushed out of Pittsburgh. After Harris left, Pitt did not make another bowl game for four years.
Stanford
Harris was the head coach of the football team at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. In his first season as head coach there he posted a record of 5–6. In his second season
2006 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2006 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In head coach Walt Harris's second season at Stanford, the Cardinal won only one game, ending the season with a 1–11 record, the school's worst since a winless 1960 season....
as head coach the team posted a 1–11 record, the school's worst since going 0–10 in 1960
1960 Stanford Indians football team
The 1960 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1960 NCAA football season. Stanford was led by third-year head coach Jack Curtice...
. He was fired on December 4, 2006, two days after Stanford's abysmal regular season ended. By the end of his tenure at Stanford, Harris had surpassed Jack Curtice
Jack Curtice
Jack C. "Cactus Jack" Curtice was an American football coach. From 1940 to 1941, he served as the head football coach at West Texas A&M, where he compiled a 15–5 record. From 1946 to 1949, he served as the head football coach at UTEP, where he compiled a 24–13–3 record. From 1950 to 1957, he...
with the lowest winning percentage in the history of Stanford football
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, with a 26.1% record.
Current career
In February 2009 he joined the University of AkronUniversity of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
coaching staff as quarterback's coach/passing game coordinator, but the team struggled and head coach J. D. Brookhart
J. D. Brookhart
-External links:*...
lost his job at the end of the year.
In April 2010, Harris became the offensive coordinator at Division II California University of Pennsylvania. He was replaced after one season.
Coaching style
Harris has been viewed by some players as difficult to work with. One article about his departure from Stanford called him a "disciplinarian" and reported that a player briefly quit the team in protest of his coaching style.Harris also has a questionable history of play calling, particularly when it comes to his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh. In a controversial series of calls he had Tyler Palko
Tyler Palko
Tyler Palko is an American football player and starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh.Palko was the starting quarterback...
quarterback punt on third down a number of times in a 2004 game against Nebraska which the Panthers lost. Harris was also criticized after the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl
2003 Continental Tire Bowl
The 2003 edition to the Continental Tire Bowl featured the Pittsburgh Panthers, and the Virginia Cavaliers. The game was the second edition to this bowl game. The game was played on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 11:00 AM EST...
for under-utilizing Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
runner-up and eventual third overall NFL draft pick
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
.