Former Athens High School football coach Steve Rivers said he knew he had a special player when he first met Rashad Harris. “I had just taken the Athens job in the summer of 1996 and was getting to know all the players,” recalls Rivers. “The first time I saw Rashad and spoke to him, I said this young man has the ‘it’ factor. Not only was he a talented football player but he was smart, his teammates rallied around him, his teachers loved him and he was the kind of person you just loved being around. He was a great fit for us at middle linebacker. He was smart and a natural leader, Rashad was the quarterback of our defense. He was a heckuva football player and I am proud to have been able to coach him.” 

Harris earned All-Area and All-State honors during his final year playing for Rivers and the Golden Eagles. He would earn a football scholarship to the University of Louisville where he was a four-year starter for the Cardinals at middle linebacker. His accomplishments include 1997 All Conference Freshman Defense, 1998 Motor City Bowl record 11 solo tackles, 1999 Third Team All Conference, Team Captain, 2000 Second Team All Conference, Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week October 12, 2000, Team Defensive Player of the Year, Team Captain, finished career with 372 tackles and ranks in the top 10 in tackles in tackles in Louisville football history. He has earned the Liberty Bowl Scholar Athlete Award.

An outstanding student, Harris earned a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from Michigan State. 

Harris Played professionally as a member of the Barcelona Dragons, an American football team in Europe and also spent time on the rosters for both the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars.