Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Thomas Wolfe once wrote: “you can’t go home again.”
Running back Andrew Harris admits that thought crossed his mind when he signed as free agent last season with his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Harris was excited about the prospect of playing for the CFL team he grew up watching. Harris also understood the pressure of trying to reverse the fortunes of a club that had missed the playoffs four straight years and hadn’t won a Grey Cup since 1990, just three years after he was born.
It was a difficult homecoming when the Bombers staggered out of the gate 1-4. During that span Harris was held to under 30 yards rushing three times.
“The season didn’t start out the way we wanted it to,” Harris said in a recent interview. “You always envision coming home and everything being great and going well.
“I knew there was going to be challenges. The team had a rough past.”
RELATED
» Bio: Andrew Harris by the numbers
» Ferguson: What should the Bombers do with 1st overall?
» Landry: 5 takeaways from the off-season so far
In his first season in Winnipeg, Harris collected 1,605 all-purpose yards in 15 games (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
The Bombers eventually found their legs. They won nine of their next 12 games to finish the season 11-7 and clinch third place in the West.
Harris played a pivotal role in Winnipeg’s success. He had 974 yards on 195 carries, and four touchdowns, to finish third in the league in rushing despite missing three games late in the year. The sure-handed back also had 631 receiving yards on 67 catches.
Harris was one of several new faces on the Bombers’ roster last year and it took time for the group of players to become a team.
“You come to a new locker room . . . you don’t understand how they work every day, you don’t know what kind of guys they are when things aren’t going well,” he said. “It’s a learning curve.”
Harris had spent the first six years of his career with the BC Lions, a franchise used to success. He helped the Lions win the 2011 Grey Cup, where he was named the game’s outstanding Canadian, and was a three-time CFL All-Star.
Now he found himself playing for a Bombers team that had 15 wins in the previous three years.
“You have to be used to winning,” he said. “In the fourth quarter, when things aren’t going right, there’s a bone in your body that says ‘I’m not going to lose this game.’ You do whatever you need to do to win.
“I think we didn’t really have that in the beginning as a team collectively. At the end of the season we found that switch.”
Harris’ personal statistics improved as he became more comfortable with his teammates and offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice’s offence.
“I started off kind of slow and picked up near the end of the season,” he said. “Understanding the schemes and also the trust part of it, knowing how your teammates play with you, is a big part of it.”
A sweet season had a bitter ending when the Bombers lost the West Semi-Final 32-31 to BC. Winnipeg led 25-12 at half time but managed only six points in the final two quarters.
“I still feel great. The only thing I feel 30 is in my experience and my wisdom. My body feels great right now.”
Andrew Harris
Harris was a coach of a flag football tournament at Mark’s CFL Week in Regina, Sask. in March (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
“There’s that killer instinct you have to have to close the game out,” said Harris. “It hurt and stung.
“I know the whole locker room still feels that and we have a sour taste in our mouth. I’ve been talking to a lot of the guys this off-season. We just can’t wait to get going and start up where we left off.”
While Harris had success on the field in 2016, he also enjoyed personal fulfillment in his community work. His teammates voted him winner of the Cal Murphy “Heart of a Legend” award, given to a player that demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to the CFL and the community.
The program Harris is proudest of is called Harris’ Heroes. It rewards youth groups for their community work with the chance to attend a Bombers’ home game.
“We touched a lot of young kids last year,” said Harris. “To be able to go to a game with a bunch of friends or teammates, I think it was a great experience for them.”
Helping financially strapped families strikes close to home for Harris.
“I didn’t come from the best background as far as being financially stable,” he said. “I’m just trying to pay it forward and give people the opportunity to do things I might not have been able to do.
“There’s always a moment in every kid’s life where they have someone they look up to reach out to them. It makes a big difference. I was able to look back and say I had moments like that. Now I want to be able to push it forward to deliver that to someone else.”
His return to Winnipeg can’t be judged a total success until the Bombers win a Grey Cup. But so far, Harris, who turned 30 on April 24, has no regrets for the road he’s traveled.
“It’s been a journey, lots of ups and downs,” he said. “I still feel great. The only thing I feel 30 is in my experience and my wisdom.
“My body feels great right now. Age isn’t playing a factor in the physical side of things. I’m looking forward to this season and life after 30. I’m excited.”
