2010

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0::: Harris picked for ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame Chris 1-' arris was a three-sport letterman

Ken Pouncey, coach Willie Coats, and Jtm Nabers (all ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame members) for their support of me over the

Poplarville campus. "It was my sophomore year imd we were going to Pearl River to play the No. 3-ranked team m the nation," h" recalled. "We were obviously the underdog to the Wildcats, who were coached at the time by J.C. Arban (for– mer ECCC assistant), a leg~:ndary coach who knew how to win. Needless to say, we played one of our best games of the year and won 16-9 in a hard fought contest. I was fortunate enough to have two interceptions during the game due to heavy pressure being applied to the quarterback by our defensive front. It was a great day to be a 'Warrior."' Following the upset, Pouncey, who was head coach, praised Harris in an article about the game for his "outstanding defensive cflort" in helping lead the team to victory. llarris also excelled 111 baseball lie was the starting th1rd baseman both seasons and was one of the Warriors' leading hitters, accord ing to Coats, who was head baseball coach at the ti1'ne, m addition to his duties as assistant footba ll coach Coats said of his fonner player: "Chris

Harris was the kind of player who always gave 1 100 percent effort in practice and in the games. Chris was the ult1mate team player; alway.s puttmg the team first.'' I farris also played as No. 2 in sing les for the EC tennis team. I Iurris said "relationships" was what EC was till aboui: "The most enJoyable part of attending East Central was the relationships that devel– oped; both in the classroom and on the play– ing :field or tennis court,'~ he said. ''Instructors d1splayed a genuine interest in you, and athletics were important to every– one back then. "I!C was my playground as a child, living across the road from the college. Many great mel 'lones exist as a child on the campus of ECC C." Pnor to attending EC, Harris was a stand– out in several .sports while attending Decatur Hig~School. He participated in football, bas– ketb::ill. track and tennis, receiving all-con– fcrc~ce and a ll-d istrict honors in footba ll and sketball. I ~ v I I- 0:: z z 0:: ~ <( ::::> 0 I- z 0 ~ Cl) - (.J z (!) u.. ~ z 0 <( 0 - :I: I- 0 I- ~ cr cr 0:::

, and help ·d lead the 1975 East Central Commun ty College football squad to a 7-2- 2 record and a share of the from MACJC North I?ivision t1tle: school Ilonors rece1ved followmg t h . th .d. repor s IS success on e gn tron include MAC'JC all-state and all-star recog– nitiOn as a free safety. llarris, who also found success as a coach, can now add another award to his list ·of accolades -- selection to the East Central Community College Athletic Hall of fame. !'he 1976 ECCC graduate will officinlly join the prestigious group during homecoming ad1vit1es scheduled Saturday, Oct. 2, on the Decatur campus. · "It's an honor and a privilege to be select– ed to be a part of this group in the ECCC Athletic llall of Fame," said Harris, who at 6·foot-3, 160 pounds, played quarterback and receiver on offense, safety on -defense, and was a backup punter. "I wou ld like to thank Mr. Earl Marshall for the nomination and others such as coach

years,·· said the ECCC administrator and Decatur resident. ''My experience at EC has allowed me the opportunity to be associated with a lot of great people Some, I have played ball with; others I have coached with over the years. All have had a very pos– itiw influe1_1Ce,on my titc." Harris, whose

Chris Harris

responsibilities at ECCC include serving as athletic director, director of personnel servic– es, and work-based learning coordinator, said the h1ghhght of his football career as a Warrior involved an upset win over Pearl River Community Col_lege played on the

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