Thank you Coach Harris.
by Mike Alexander
With the passing of defensive line coach Richard Harris this week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers enter week five of the season without one of the league’s nicest, most caring man on the sidelines. Harris suffered a massive heart attack on Tuesday and was unable to be revived by doctors. Known to many fans as being courteous, positive and loving, his sudden and unexpected death comes as a huge blow to the team. Players have described him as a parent. Fans describe instances of meeting him as being an uplifting and extremely positive occasion. Harris was known as friendly, gentle with a compelling love for the sport. He taught those he coached respect for the game,for themselves and he taught our guys respect for the opposing team. He was the peacemaker, the guy who helped resolve disputes and who took every opportunity to teach maturity to the new guys and to always offer encouragement to the vets.
Today an entire team is stricken by grief and is in mourning while the rest of the league also feels the pain of loss. All week long fans, players and people throughout the league have been offering their sincere condolences.
If I had a chance to write directly to the team, I would tell them about how this was the year in which I almost lost a friend of mine to two grade 5 aneurisms. For those first few days when she lay in the ICU on life support, many of us were entering a dark and horrible place, understanding that the odds offered by the doctors were stacked against her. The pain that I felt in that situation was extremely intense, a new sort of agony that even now, a few months after a remarkable recovery, is hard to describe. It was so acute and it bled into every aspect of my life. I am thankful for her recovery and survival story. It taught me the importance of relationships and positive thinking. Her life changed my outlook for the better and I was able to see through the pain and to focus on the good things in life.I can’t possibly understand what it’s like to be a Winnipeg Blue Bomber this afternoon, a few hours before kickoff against the BC Lions this evening at Canad Inns stadium.
I’m a fan of these guys because of their determination to play a brutal, violent and often dangerous sport. They live in a world of positive thinking, of valuing teamwork, being extremely motivated and they all possess a passion that most of the rest of us could use in our own lives. Coach Harris made it enjoyable for us to follow the CFL week after week and year after year. That sounds like the kind of person that should have stuck around Maroons Ave. for many, many more years than he did. Coach Harris brought out the best in his players and losing that gentle understanding and love is something I would never want anyone to experience.
All of us at angrybomberfans.ca are paying our respects to Coach Harris and the team in our own way. I just wanted to say that on behalf of everyone who contributes here to his wife Tami, his four children and three grandchildren that we are sorry for your loss. Coach Harris was a strong, wonderful man with a love for life and love for his fellow man. Many, many people will miss him.
The question tonight as we play host to the hapless BC Lions, is how will the team perform once a moment of silence for Harris has been observed and the coin has been tossed, after the opening whistle and the opening punt has been kicked? All eyes will be on the Bombers to show composure. As they claw and fight to win one for coach Harris, they will need to keep their emotions in check. BC pivot Travis Lulay will have his young hands full contending with a devastating D line. No one expects the Lions to lay down and let Winnipeg walk all over them tonight and there is something about a wounded (0-4) animal in search of food that adds an element of danger. No one has seen any cards up the sleeves of the Lions this year, but Winnipeg should not take this team lightly. Here’s hoping to a smart, well planned and well played victory against the desperate Lions tonight.
Good night and thank you for everything coach Harris.
