Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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60 NOV. 6, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? The former standout Irish and NFL player has been a man of rare achievements BY LOU SOMOGYI S eldom does an NFL player achieve a 10-year career. The average duration in the "Not For Long" league is 3.3 years, or less than a four-year college foot- ball stint. Naturally, 2007 Notre Dame gradu- ate Ryan Harris defied the odds again when he became the fourth Fight- ing Irish alumnus recruited in this century — along with defensive end Justin Tuck, tight end Anthony Fa- sano, and most recently, center John Sullivan — to achieve that 10-year milestone in 2016 before retiring. He has quite the habit of complet- ing the rare. A devout Muslim, Har- ris nevertheless selected the Catholic- based Notre Dame after a prominent high school career at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minn. Next, he achieved a unique feat of not only playing along the Fighting Irish offensive line as a freshman but starting the final eight games in 2003 at right tackle. Furthermore, while everyone else up front was in the 300- to 320-pound range, the master technician Harris was only 270 — and never listed at more than 288 while starting each of the final 45 games in his career. During that time, he also earned not one but two degrees: in econom- ics and policy, and political science. Finally, there was maybe the most atypical of all traits: Harris was mag- nificent with members of the media, in both the sweet and sour times, while coming across as an extremely erudite and thoughtful speaker on numerous topics. So it's hardly surprising that Har- ris currently hosts a daily three-hour show in his new home of Denver on Altitude Sports Radio 960. He also is a public/motivational speaker who does such talks at least twice a month, with a focus on financial literacy (more can be found on Ry- anHarris68.com) and also real estate. Recently, he was hired as an analyst for the post-game show on Notre Dame Digital Media. "I did a radio show for the team [Denver Broncos] one year, and I liked that," Harris said of how he became involved in his current gig. "It was a great way for me to human- ize the game. I think football gets dehumanized between fantasy foot- ball and just the fact you're wear- ing a helmet. It's a great way to edu- cate people on where a certain play started — or who's really the best quarterback on the roster." OVERCOMING OBSTACLES The third-round selection of the Broncos in 2007 started 70 regular- season games in a career that also saw him play with Philadelphia, Houston and Kansas City before re- turning to Denver in 2015. In the interim, he underwent nearly a dozen different surgeries, from dislocated toes to his back. In 2016, he was picked up by Den- ver again to replace four-time Pro Bowl pick Ryan Clady, who tore his ACL during an off-season workout. Harris beat the odds again, start- ing all 19 games at left tackle for the Broncos while protecting the blind side of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, highlighted by the 24-10 victory versus Carolina in Su- per Bowl 50. "It was a beautiful, amazing 10 years and winning a championship really changed it all for me," said Harris, despite all the injury setbacks. "I'm just so fortunate that I was able to play that long and represent Notre Dame all the way." In March 2016 following the Super Bowl, he signed a two-year $3.2-mil- lion contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but four games into the sea- son he suffered a hematoma situation in his shin that finally inspired him to step down in March of this year, de- spite encouragement from the coach- ing staff to return. "I'm one of five players I know who called their retirement, and two others were Peyton Manning and [nine-time Pro Bowl pick] DeMarcus Ware," Harris said. "That gives you an example of how rare it is to say, 'Hey, I'm going to retire.' For me, I wanted to know I could still play in- stead of leaving saying, 'They didn't want me anymore.' "I respect the game so much, I never wanted to get to the point where I was getting older because of my experience rather than my skill." Chronic Traumatic Encephalopa- thy (CTE) was becoming a serious talking point in the NFL during his final seasons. "CTE is certainly a concern, but I tell people all the time, 'A lot more people risk a lot more for a lot less,'" Harris said. "Our service men and women and those who serve our communities risk a lot. "I was fortunate that with my skill I was able to make the most of it and be smart with my money and now be able to enjoy the life that I've built since I was 14." The decision became easier in Oc- tober 2016 after his health scare at Pittsburgh, especially in his fifth year of marriage and with a 3-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. "Before my final game I went to the hospital and had four surgeries, one skin graft and almost lost my leg below my knee," Harris recalled. "As gruesome as it was and as close as I came to losing my leg, it was a relatively short time healing. Ryan Harris, 2003-06 Offensive Tackle Harris started 45 consecutive games for the Irish on the offensive line, despite never having a listed weight of more than 288 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS