Gary Harrell facts for kids
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 23, 1972 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1990–1993 | Howard |
| 1994–1995 | New York Giants |
| 1996 | Frankfurt Galaxy |
| 1996 | Montreal Alouettes |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2002–2003 | Howard (WR) |
| 2004–2005 | Texas Southern (WR) |
| 2006–2007 | Florida A&M (WR) |
| 2008 | Morgan State (QB) |
| 2009–2010 | Bowie State (OC) |
| 2011–2016 | Howard |
| 2017–2018 | Florida Atlantic (WR) |
| 2019 | Alabama State (AHC/RB) |
| 2020–2022 | Jackson State (RB) |
| 2023–2024 | Colorado (AHC/RB) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 20–36 |
Gary Lamar Harrell, also known as "The Flea," was born on January 23, 1972. He is an American college football coach and a former professional American football player. He used to be the assistant head coach and running backs coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. Harrell played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and other leagues during the 1990s. He also served as the head football coach at Howard University in Washington, D.C. for two periods.
Contents
Playing Football: From College to Pros
College Football Star
Gary Harrell was a standout wide receiver and punt returner at Howard University. He played for four years and was a key player. In 1993, he started every game for the Howard team that won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title. Harrell still holds records at Howard for the most catches in one game (13) and in a whole career (184). In 2005, he was honored by being added to the Howard University Hall of Fame. Before college, he played sports at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Miami.
Professional Football Journey
Harrell played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants in 1994 and 1995. He also played one season in 1996 for the Frankfurt Galaxy in the World League of American Football. After that, he spent two seasons, from 1996 to 1997, playing in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes.
Coaching Football: Leading Teams
Early Coaching Roles
Gary Harrell started his coaching career at his old college, Howard University, as the wide receivers coach from 2002 to 2003. He then coached wide receivers at Texas Southern University (2004–2005) and Florida A&M University (2006–2007). In 2008, Harrell became the quarterbacks coach at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He also coached wide receivers for Team Michigan in the All American Football League that same year. From 2009 to 2010, Harrell was the offensive coordinator at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.
Head Coach at Howard University
In 2011, Harrell returned to Howard University as the head football coach. In 2012, he was named the Local College Coach of the Year by the D.C. Touchdown Club. He took a break in 2013 but came back to coach Howard again in 2014. During his five seasons as Howard's head coach, his teams had a total record of 20 wins and 36 losses. His best season was in 2012, when the team won 7 games and lost 4.
Coaching at Other Universities
In January 2017, Harrell joined Lane Kiffin's coaching staff at Florida Atlantic University as the wide receivers coach. Under his guidance, a player named Kalib Woods was named the MVP of the 2017 Conference USA Football Championship Game. Another player, Willie Wright, led the team in catches and earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team. In 2019, Harrell worked as the assistant head coach and running backs coach at Alabama State University.
In November 2020, Harrell became the running backs coach at Jackson State University under coach Deion Sanders. During the 2021 season, Harrell stepped in as interim head coach while Coach Sanders was recovering from surgery. The team won all three games while Harrell was leading them. Jackson State still credits Sanders as the head coach for that entire season.
In December 2022, Harrell moved with Coach Sanders to the University of Colorado Boulder. There, he served as the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. He left the team in January 2025.
Personal Life
Gary Harrell grew up in Miami. He earned a degree in marketing from Howard University in 1994. He is married to Tenika, and they have two children: a daughter named Jasmine and a son named Gary Jr. His son, Gary Jr., also played football at Howard University.
