Clark Harris

Clark Harris (born July 10, 1984) is an American football long snapper for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. Harris has also been a member of the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans.

Clark Harris
Harris with the Bengals in 2017
No. 46 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Long snapper
Personal information
Born: (1984-07-10) July 10, 1984
Manahawkin, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Southern
(Manahawkin, New Jersey)
College:Rutgers
NFL Draft:2007 / Round: 7 / Pick: 243
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Games played:172
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Harris played both tight end and defensive end in high school at Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey for Head Coach Chuck Donahue.[1] The Times-Observer and The Star-Ledger named him All-Ocean County, and was an All-Press of Atlantic City choice following his senior season. Rated the 22nd-best tight end in the nation by Student Sports Magazine, adding All-American and all-region honors from PrepStar. Led the team to a berth in the NJSIAA's South Jersey Group IV playoffs; he made 29 tackles, including six sacks and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage while also recovering two fumbles, returning one for a score in 2001. Also caught seven passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns that year. Of his 13 career receptions in a run-oriented offense, five went for scores.

The three-year starter also handled the long-snapping duties, earning a spot on the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Super 100 football team. The versatile athlete also played basketball and competed in track. Harris was selected to compete in the North-South New Jersey All-Star Basketball Game. In track, Harris finished fifth in the Meet of Champions in the javelin with a throw of 180 feet, 3 inches as a junior and placed fourth in the javelin at the Penn Relays as a senior. Graduated as a Rotary Club Scholar-Athlete and played for New Jersey in the 2002 Governor's Bowl. Harris is an avid board game player and 4 time Stoopball world champion with the help of teammate Christopher Mezey. He has also been an alleged member of the New Jersey Based prank texting gang known as "Teryaki Joysticks." He is married to his wife Jessica.

College career

Harris played college football at Rutgers. He did not see action in 2002. In 2003, he played in all 12 games and caught 18 passes for 213 yards. In 2004, Harris earned First Team All-Big East honors after leading conference tight ends in catches (53), yards (725), and touchdowns (5). In 2005, he earned First Team All-Big East honors for the second consecutive year, catching 38 passes for 584 yards and four touchdowns. He was also the Scarlet Knights long snapper.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Harris was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round as the 243rd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was later cut by the team on September 1, 2007. Harris was re-added to the practice squad the next day but was cut again on September 11, 2007.

Detroit Lions

Harris was then signed by the Detroit Lions to the practice squad on November 28, 2007. He was re-signed by the Lions on August 19, 2008, only to be waived during final cuts on August 30.

Houston Texans

On September 17, 2008, Harris was signed to the practice squad of the Houston Texans after the team released linebacker Kevis Coley. On September 30, the team released Harris and re-signed Coley. Harris was re-signed to the Texans' practice squad again on November 5. He was promoted to the active roster on December 3 after long snapper Bryan Pittman was suspended four games.

He was waived on September 5 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released from the practice squad on October 6.

Cincinnati Bengals

Harris was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals on October 13, 2009, to be the team's long snapper. He played his first game with the Bengals October 18 against his former team, the Houston Texans. He played in the final eleven games of that season, and all sixteen games in the 2010 through 2013 seasons. Harris helped the Bengals win the AFC North Division Championship in 2009, 2013, and 2015. He also played in the Bengals 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 AFC Wild-Card Playoff games.

On October 16, 2017, Harris signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals through the 2018 season.[2] On January 16, 2018, Harris was named to his first Pro Bowl.[3]

On November 5, 2018, Harris signed a two-year contract extension with the Bengals through the 2020 season.[4]

References
  1. Clark Harris player profile, accessed September 1, 2007.
  2. Marcum, Jason (October 16, 2017). "Bengals extend Clark Harris; make pair of roster moves including Hardy Nickerson". CincyJungle.com.
  3. Williams, Charean (January 16, 2018). "Bengals long snapper Clark Harris selected for Pro Bowl". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  4. Hobson, Geoff (November 5, 2018). "Quick Hits: Lewis Says Green Doesn't Need Surgery; Tate Promoted; Harris Extended". Bengals.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.