Today's installment of Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff brings us to 91 days until the start of the 2023 season. In celebration, let's take a look at the life and career of the most productive player to don the number 91 as a Chicago Bear, defensive tackle Tommie Harris.
Tommie Harris' path to the Chicago Bears
A native of Killeen High School, Harris attended Ellis High School, where he turned into a dominant defensive tackle, earning a composite five-star rating as a recruit. Upon being offered a scholarship, Harris eventually committed to the University of Oklahoma, where he would go on to play in every game as a true freshman, contributing two sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
The following year, Harris would have another great season, eventually being nominated for three All-American teams. In 2003, Harris was nominated as a consensus All-American at Oklahoma before committing to the NFL Draft, capping off his final season with 37 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. In the 2004 draft, Harris was a highly touted defensive prospect, and would eventually be selected 14th overall by the Chicago Bears, and was the first pick of the Lovie Smith era, having been just hired at the end of the previous season.
Tommie Harris' dominant run with the Chicago Bears
In Chicago, Harris was able to get on the field immediately, starting in all 16 of the team's games in 2004. With 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss, Harris ended the season sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, Harris contributed three sacks and nine tackles for loss while again starting all 16 games, and would eventually be voted to the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team following the year.
In 2006, Harris had one of the best starts to a season in his career, racking in five sacks during the team's first four games, but would get injured during the team's 12th game, and would miss the last four games of the regular season, as well as the team's Super Bowl run. Nonetheless, Harris was voted to his second Pro Bowl, but entered the ensuing offseason focused on returning from injury.
By the start of the 2007 season, Harris's health had returned, and Harris himself returned to the starting lineup, logging 13 starts in 16 games during the year. Harris finished the season with eight sacks and seven tackles for loss and was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.
Following the 2007 season, Harris signed a massive contract extension, surpassing division rival Ndamukong Suh as the league's highest-paid interior defensive lineman. During the ensuing 2008 season, Harris logged 13 starts in 14 games, and racked up five sacks and 11 tackles for loss, despite missing the Pro Bowl for the first time since his rookie campaign.
The end of Harris' career and his life since retirement
During the 2009 season, Harris's play on the field started to decline a bit, as the defensive tackle recorded only 2.5 sacks with 10 tackles for loss, but with his knee injury from 2007 still lingering, Harris was reaching the end of his career with the Bears as the defensive line appeared to be overhauled.
By the time the 2010 season came along, Harris accepted more of a reserve role for the team to get a better look at some younger players such as Henry Melton and Marcus Harrison. Starting only six games, Harris appeared in 15 contests, recording just 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. At the end of the season, Harris was released by the Bears, ending his time in Chicago.
Harris would go on to sign a one-year deal with the Colts, and after being released before the 2011 season, he would be released again, signing with the Chargers for the year. Primarily as a backup, Harris played well in his role, adding three sacks and five tackles for loss while making a start in one game.
Harris decided to retire after the season following the tragic loss of his wife, Ashely Harris. After being married for only a little more than a month, Ashely suffered a brain aneurysm and unfortunately did not survive.
Since his retirement and this tragic incident, Tommie Harris has published a book titled Endure: Playing Through Life's Hardest Hits, which details his life, and how he chose to handle his loss. Today, Harris is an executive at Vertical Momentum and also serves as a motivational speaker.
With seven years in Chicago, Harris's 28.5 sacks are best for tied 14th in Bears' history, matched only by Israel Idonije and William Perry. Notably, Harris spent the majority of his career at defensive tackle, with Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, both of whom were recent focuses of Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff for the numbers 96 and 93, respectively. A defensive tackle that defined nearly a decade of Chicago Bears football, Harris played at an elite level in Chicago, and was an instrumental member of the Lovie Smith coordinated defenses.