Tommie Harris

Tommie Harris, Jr. (born April 29, 1983) is an American football defensive end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.

Harris has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts. He is a one-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Early years
Harris was born and raised in Killeen, Texas, and attended Ellison High School. As a member of the Ellison Eagles, Harris became one of the nation's top defensive high school prospects, including being ranked as the 35th best high school prospect in the nation by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. In the 1998 football season he was a starting defensive tackle in his freshman year for the Eagles who were ranked 1st in the state of Texas and 13th in the nation. He also participated on Ellison's track and field team, where he participated in the shotput.

College career
As one of the nation's top defensive prospects, Harris was pursued by many elite schools, but finally decided to attend the University of Oklahoma and play for the Oklahoma Sooners football team. He was a leader on and off the field, choosing to lead by example. He is one of the very few players in OU history to start every game of his true freshman season. In his junior and final season as a Sooner, Harris won the Lombardi Award as the nation's best lineman in 2003. He was named to the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team in 2009.

Harris turned down the Playboy All-America Team photo shoot in 2002. When asked about it in Sports Illustrated, he said, "I have four sisters and no interest in promoting Hugh Hefner's agenda. What would I be saying by being in that magazine? That I'm poor and am looking for publicity? That I like girls in swimsuits? I don't even like pornography."

Chicago Bears
Harris was the 14th pick of the 2004 NFL draft. In 2004, he finished second in balloting for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. In only his second NFL season, Harris was selected for the first time for the 2006 Pro Bowl. Harris is well suited for coach Lovie Smith's version of the Tampa 2 defense, which relies on quick, mobile linemen to get pressure on the quarterback. Harris' play has earned him comparisons to the young Warren Sapp, who rose to prominence in a similar defensive scheme.

Harris enjoyed an excellent start to the 2006 season, leading the league with five sacks after four games. He was instrumental in a Week 3 victory over the Vikings, disrupting a handoff in the Vikings backfield and forcing a fumble, which allowed the Bears to score the game-winning touchdown. Furthermore, Harris was awarded the NFC's "Player of the Week" award twice in three weeks. However, in the following weeks, Harris' productivity declined. Additionally, Harris was forced to leave the Bears' Week 13 match-up against the Vikings after sustaining a knee injury. Further medical review determined that Harris had severely injured his hamstring, and he missed the remainder of the 2006 season.

Despite the injury, Harris was selected to play in the 2007 Pro Bowl, and appeared on the cover of the February issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. Without Harris, the Bears noticed a significant decline in their pass rush and run defense. Though the Bears beat the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC Championship, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Harris saw limited action throughout the subsequent preseason, and only made a brief return during the final game of the preseason against the Cleveland Browns. He played in the Bears' season opener against the San Diego Chargers and forced a pivotal (and controversial) fumble. He finished 2007 with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.

On June 19, 2008, Harris signed a contract extension with the Chicago Bears for $40 million over four years. It also includes a $8.5 million Pro Bowl bonus, which he will receive if he makes it to the Pro Bowl in 2008, 2009, and 2010. He can make an additional $2 million based on performance. It also included $17 million in guarantees and made Harris the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. That salary has since been surpassed by Albert Haynesworth's.

Harris' role with the Bears has decreased since he injured his knee during a Week 3 game of the 2007 season. The injury has hampered his performance throughout portions of the 2008 season, and into the 2010 season. Nevertheless, Harris recorded eight sacks in 2007 despite starting in 13 games that season. On November 8, 2009, Harris was ejected just 65 seconds into the first quarter in a game against the Arizona Cardinals for punching guard Deuce Lutui in the face. He later apologized for the incident.

In 2010, Harris was benched after the second week of the season. Head coach Lovie Smith stated, "We have 45 guys that you can go with; we have everybody healthy right now. Just felt like we wanted to get a look at Marcus Harrison, him and Henry Melton inside, a little bit. Just performance based. Tommie's been doing everything we've asked him to do. " The same, week, former defensive tackle Warren Sapp criticized Harris, comparing him to "blind dog in a meat house. " Harris later returned the Bears the next week, but lost his starting position. He recorded his first and only sack of the season in week 17 against the Green Bay Packers.

On February 28, 2011, Harris, along with linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer, was released by the Bears. During his seven seasons with the Bears, Harris played in 104 games, recording 213 tackles and 28.5 sacks.

Indianapolis Colts
On August 2, 2011, Harris signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts, but was released on September 3.

San Diego Chargers
Harris signed with the San Diego Chargers on September 28, 2011. In 2012, Harris' wife Ashley died of either a stroke or brain aneurysm.