Bowling Green State University Athletics
Josh Harris To Be Inducted Into Cast Of Honor
September 25, 2019 | Football, General
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of Bowling Green State University Football, the BGSU Department of Athletics will induct ten football players into the Cast of Honor, recognizing the "Best of the Best" by hanging their names and numbers in Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
The criteria for selecting members to the Cast of Honor is extensive. The nominee must have received his or her undergraduate degree from BGSU or, in the event of early pursuit of a professional career, must have been a student in good academic standing and made significant progress towards a degree. The candidate must have been at least 10 years removed from graduation and be a member of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and must have exceptional athletic qualifications such as national award recognition, All-American status, and/or conference player of the year status. Finally, personal conduct, character, integrity, and community and University standing were considered.
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Full Cast of Honor Release
Football's 100th Anniversary Page
Part One: Bernie Casey
Part Two: Fred Durig
Today we look at Josh Harris '04, who lettered for Bowling Green from 2000-03.
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BGSU's team MVP in 2002 and 2003, Harris was captain of a 2003 team that finished 11-3 overall, won the Mid-American Conference West Division, won the Motor City Bowl, finished No. 23 in the final AP poll and was No. 24 in the final BCS rankings (the first time BGSU ended a season in the top 25 in the final BCS rankings). He was a Collegefootballnews.com All-American and second team All-MAC that season, as well as Motor City Bowl MVP, holding school bowl records in completions, passing attempts and total yards (38-of-50 for 454 yards against Northwestern).
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Harris holds the BGSU record for most single-game touchdowns with six (four passing, one rushing, one receiving), the BGSU single-game record for yards gained (527 total yards against Northern Illinois), and the BGSU single-season record for rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, points, and total plays (20 rushing TDs, 22 total TDs, 134 points, 709 total plays in 2002). He also holds the career total touchdown and career rushing touchdown records at BGSU with 47 total touchdowns scored and 43 rushing touchdowns.
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Harris is second in BGSU history with 9,976 career total yards and third in program history with 284 points. He is fourth in BGSU single-season history with 3,813 passing yards and a 65.8 completion percentage, the fifth-leading career passer in school history (7,503 yards), and seventh-leading career rusher in program history (2,473 yards). Harris played in the 2003 Senior Bowl and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Harris was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 2016.
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"BG is where I grew up," Harris said. "I really learned how to play the game while I was at BG. I learned what it meant to be a really good teammate and a leader. I learned that the game is bigger than me. This is a huge honor. As time goes by, it really lets you know that we are appreciated. I say 'we' because this game is impossible to be really good at without great teammates. At that time, it didn't feel special to us. I just felt like we were doing our job. We had high expectations and we just tried to execute on a weekly basis.
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"At the quarterback position, we get a lot of the praise, but we can't do it without the linemen and skill guys. Without them, there's no numbers and no recognition. I want to thank Coach (Urban) Meyer, Coach (Dan) Mullen and Coach (Mick) McCall for really teaching me how to play the game and teaching me what to look for. The level of coaching we had was unbelievable."
The criteria for selecting members to the Cast of Honor is extensive. The nominee must have received his or her undergraduate degree from BGSU or, in the event of early pursuit of a professional career, must have been a student in good academic standing and made significant progress towards a degree. The candidate must have been at least 10 years removed from graduation and be a member of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and must have exceptional athletic qualifications such as national award recognition, All-American status, and/or conference player of the year status. Finally, personal conduct, character, integrity, and community and University standing were considered.
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Full Cast of Honor Release
Football's 100th Anniversary Page
Part One: Bernie Casey
Part Two: Fred Durig
Today we look at Josh Harris '04, who lettered for Bowling Green from 2000-03.
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BGSU's team MVP in 2002 and 2003, Harris was captain of a 2003 team that finished 11-3 overall, won the Mid-American Conference West Division, won the Motor City Bowl, finished No. 23 in the final AP poll and was No. 24 in the final BCS rankings (the first time BGSU ended a season in the top 25 in the final BCS rankings). He was a Collegefootballnews.com All-American and second team All-MAC that season, as well as Motor City Bowl MVP, holding school bowl records in completions, passing attempts and total yards (38-of-50 for 454 yards against Northwestern).
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Harris holds the BGSU record for most single-game touchdowns with six (four passing, one rushing, one receiving), the BGSU single-game record for yards gained (527 total yards against Northern Illinois), and the BGSU single-season record for rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, points, and total plays (20 rushing TDs, 22 total TDs, 134 points, 709 total plays in 2002). He also holds the career total touchdown and career rushing touchdown records at BGSU with 47 total touchdowns scored and 43 rushing touchdowns.
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Harris is second in BGSU history with 9,976 career total yards and third in program history with 284 points. He is fourth in BGSU single-season history with 3,813 passing yards and a 65.8 completion percentage, the fifth-leading career passer in school history (7,503 yards), and seventh-leading career rusher in program history (2,473 yards). Harris played in the 2003 Senior Bowl and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Harris was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 2016.
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"BG is where I grew up," Harris said. "I really learned how to play the game while I was at BG. I learned what it meant to be a really good teammate and a leader. I learned that the game is bigger than me. This is a huge honor. As time goes by, it really lets you know that we are appreciated. I say 'we' because this game is impossible to be really good at without great teammates. At that time, it didn't feel special to us. I just felt like we were doing our job. We had high expectations and we just tried to execute on a weekly basis.
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"At the quarterback position, we get a lot of the praise, but we can't do it without the linemen and skill guys. Without them, there's no numbers and no recognition. I want to thank Coach (Urban) Meyer, Coach (Dan) Mullen and Coach (Mick) McCall for really teaching me how to play the game and teaching me what to look for. The level of coaching we had was unbelievable."
BG Football Press Conference 9.22
Monday, September 22
Chris Fox Post-Match Interview (Sept. 21, 2025)
Sunday, September 21
Christie Fransen Post-Match Interview (Sept. 21, 2025)
Sunday, September 21
Lexi White Post-Match Interview (Sept. 21, 2025)
Sunday, September 21