Josh Harris (2016) - Hall of Fame - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Josh Harris

Induction:
2016
Class:
2004

Josh Harris, a native of Westerville, Ohio and 2004 Bowling Green graduate, rewrote much of the BGSU record books as quarterback for the Falcons from 2000-03. The Falcons were ranked as high as No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 during both the 2002 and 2003 seasons and finished the 2003 campaign ranked No. 23 and No. 24 in the final BCS standings.

Harris' senior season was one of the greatest in program history as he broke single-season program records for pass completions (325), pass attempts (494), yards passing (3,813), touchdown passes (27) and completion percentage (.658). He was a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, honorable mention All-American and an invitee to the 2003 Senior Bowl.

The Most Valuable Player of the 2003 Motor City Bowl, Harris engineered a 28-24 win over Northwestern by throwing for 386 yards and three touchdowns, while accounting for 454 total yards.

"I am blessed to have had the opportunity to play at BGSU," Harris said. "It was probably the most challenging and exciting four-year stretch of my life. But through it all, we persevered and improved daily! This honor is a huge compliment not only to myself and my family, but also the coaches and teammates that I was privileged to work with. That's the way I see it and I hope they see it that way too!"

At the time, Harris became just the third player in MAC history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in total offense in a season (2003). And as a junior in 2002, he ranked second in the country in points responsible for. He finished his career with 7,503 passing yards and 2,473 rushing yards. He threw 55 touchdowns and rushed for 43 more. At the completion of his career, he was one of only two quarterbacks in NCAA Division I FBS history (joining Antwan Randle-El) to throw for 40 career touchdowns and rush for 40 more. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens and was also a member of the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants during his professional career.

In his two full seasons as a starter at Bowling Green, Harris' teams went 20-6 with wins over Missouri, Kansas, No. 16 Purdue, No. 12 Northern Illinois and Northwestern. In fact, the program went 6-1 against BCS competition with Harris as the starter.

The win over Northern Illinois was the first and only time ESPN's College Gameday has visited a Mid-American Conference school. Harris directed the offense flawlessly as the Falcons prevailed 34-18 in just the second-ever regular season game between two nationally-ranked MAC schools.

"A super huge thank you to my family who was at every game, supporting us week after week," Harris said. "God blessed me with the a natural ability to play this game, to take coaching/mentorship from people that knew more than me, a willingness to follow instructions and a drive to compete as hard as I could every chance I got. Lebron James told his teammates this year when they defied the odds and brought the Cavs their first title to 'Be a Star in your role'. That's exactly what I tried to do every week. I'm just very thankful to have had the opportunity live out my football dreams in Bowling Green."

Harris is married to Tami, a track and field Hall of Famer at Ohio State. He is the father of Jacob and Elijah.