| WyomingAthletics.com | WEB |
|
UW This Season: Joseph Harris returns for his senior season after redshirting last season due to knee surgery. Harris had surgery following the 2004 season to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. He was hampered with the knee injury for most of the 2004 season. When healthy, Harris was one of the most talented backs the Cowboys have had in some time. He is one of four Cowboy running backs that should all challenge for playing time in 2006. In fact the Cowboy coaching staff, listed four running backs as co-starters at the conclusion of 2006 spring drills. One of those co-starters listed was Harris. 2005: Redshirted due to knee surgery. 2004: In 2004, Harris teamed with Ivan Harrison to form an effective running-back tandem for the Cowboys. Harris accounted for 409 rushing yards on 94 carries in his first season at Wyoming after transferring from Butler County Community College in Kansas. That ranked him second on the team in rushing to Ivan Harrison's 587 yards. Combined the two accounted for 996 net rushing yards for the 2004 season. Harris ranked No. 14 in the MWC in rushing in `04 (40.9 yards per game) and No. 19 in total offense (40.9 yards per game). He averaged 4.4 yards per carry in his first season at the NCAA Division I level, and posted two 100-yard rushing games. Harris first displayed his talents when he ran for 121 yards and one touchdown in a 37-32 Wyoming win over Ole Miss on Sept. 24, 2004. That was the first time in UW school history that the Pokes had defeated a Southeastern Conference school. He enjoyed the best game of his Wyoming career when he ran for 128 yards and one touchdown in a 43-26 Wyoming home victory over Air Force on Oct. 30, 2004. Harris missed the final two games of the regular season for UW due to a sprained left knee. But he came back to play in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl victory over UCLA. It was in that bowl victory that Harris endeared himself to Cowboy fans. Although he ran for only 27 yards versus the Bruins, it was his toughness that earned the respect of everyone who watched the game. Despite reinjuring his knee in the game, Harris continued to play as Wyoming's other running back, Ivan Harrison, was knocked out with an injury that wouldn't allow him to continue. Harris provided the Pokes just enough of a running threat to keep the pressure off quarterback Corey Bramlet. Harris' performance playing hurt was a key to Wyoming coming back from a 21-10 deficit to defeat UCLA 24-21. Harris was one of the most highly-recruited junior-college running backs landed by the Wyoming Cowboys in some time. He enrolled at UW in the spring of 2004, and went through spring drills with the Pokes. Harris showed in spring drills that he possessed a punishing running style, and was an excellent pass blocker. Butler County CC: Harris earned Second Team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America honors in the fall of 2003. He was named First Team All-American by Gridwire. Harris was also selected First Team All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference. He rushed for 1,697 yards on 227 carries during the 2003 regular season for an average of 154.3 yards per game to rank No. 5 in the NJCAA and lead the Kansas Jayhawk Conference in rushing. Harris led his Butler County team to the 2003 National Championship, defeating Dixie College of St. George, Utah, by a score of 14-10 in the National Championship game played in St. George. He added 144 rushing yards on 32 carries in the National Championship game. That improved his season total to 1,841 rushing yards on 259 carries for an average of 153.4 yards per game. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2003, and had a long rush of 69 yards. Butler County ended the 2003 season with a perfect 12-0 record. Butler was a perfect 7-0 in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference, capturing the conference title for the second consecutive season. In addition to leading the Jayhawk Conference in rushing, he also led the league in all-purpose yards (1,885 for a 157.1 per-game average) and scoring (26 touchdowns and 164 total points for an average of 13.7 points per game). Harris caught seven passes on the season for 44 yards. He played for NJCAA National Coach of the Year Troy Morrell at Butler County. Other schools that recruited him included Iowa State and North Texas. High School: Harris played his high school football at Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kan. His senior season, he was honored as a First Team All-State selection. He was a Second Team All-State honoree as a junior, and earned First Team All-Conference honors both his junior and senior seasons. In addition to earning three letters in football, Harris was a four-year letterwinner in track and field and a two-year letterwinner in wrestling. His high school football coach was Mark Littrell. Personal: Born Jan. 31, 1984, he is the eldest of two children of Natalie and Dane Griffin. He is studying communication at UW. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
