24 Facts About Cliff Harris

Clifford Allen Harris was born on November 12,1948 and is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League for ten seasons.

Cliff Harris was only offered a scholarship to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, after his father's roommate at Ouachita convinced head coach Buddy Benson to do it.

Cliff Harris played all of the secondary positions and was a quality kick returner.

Cliff Harris was named to two All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference teams and was part of the 1966 AIC Football Championship team during his freshman season.

Cliff Harris was part of the track and field team and graduated with a double major in math and physics.

Cliff Harris was not chosen in the 1970 NFL draft, but the Cowboys invited him to training camp and he signed as a free agent.

Cliff Harris beat out Cowboys third-round draft choice Charlie Waters for the starting free safety position his rookie year.

Cliff Harris was a key member of the Cowboys Super Bowl VI winning team in the following season, intercepting 2 passes and recovering three fumbles, while ranking 3rd in the NFL with a 28.4 yards per kickoff return average.

Cliff Harris eventually teamed up with Waters to form the top safety duo in the NFL in the 1970s.

Cliff Harris made it a point to wear the pads of placekickers in order to keep his speed and quickness up.

Cliff Harris won another Super Bowl with the Cowboys in the 1977 season, intercepting 5 passes that year.

Cliff Harris played in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIV, both losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him one of the few players to play in all five of Dallas' Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s.

Cliff Harris gained some infamy in Super Bowl X for an incident after Steelers kicker Roy Gerela missed a third quarter field goal that would have tied the game.

Cliff Harris was nicknamed "Captain Crash" by his teammates for his punishing hits and reckless pursuit of ball carriers and was described as a "rolling ball of butcher knives" by hall of fame head coach George Allen.

Cliff Harris changed the way the position is being played.

You see other teams modeling their free safeties around the way Cliff Harris plays the pass, and striking fear in everyone on the field because he hits so hard.

Cliff Harris is one of only 13 players in NFL history to play in five Super Bowls, was chosen for the Pro Bowl six consecutive times and was voted First-team All-Pro four times.

The Cowboys were surprised when Cliff Harris announced his retirement in March 1980 at the age of 31 to concentrate on his oil business ventures.

Cliff Harris was selected to the National Football League 1970s All-Decade Team and the Cowboys Silver Season All-Time Team in 1984.

Cliff Harris finished his ten NFL seasons with 29 interceptions, which he returned for 281 yards and one touchdown, and 16 fumble recoveries, which he returned for 91 yards.

Cliff Harris was used in special teams during the first half of his career, gaining 418 yards on punt returns and 1,622 yards returning kickoffs, with a yards per kick return avarege of 25.7.

On January 15,2020, Cliff Harris was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and his bust was sculpted by Scott Myers.

The Cliff Harris Award is presented to the top defensive player in the country representing Division II, III and NAIA colleges and universities.

Cliff Harris is the author of Captain Crash and the Dallas Cowboys: From Sideline to Goal Line With Cliff Harris, first published in 2006 and re-released in September 2014.