Kwame Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kwame Harris

Harris with the Oakland Raiders in 2008
No. 77
Position:	Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1982-03-15) March 15, 1982 (age 43) Jamaica
Height:	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:	320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:	Newark (Newark, Delaware, U.S.)
College:	Stanford
NFL Draft:	2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2003–2007) Oakland Raiders (2008) Florida Tuskers (2010)*
Career highlights and awards
Morris Trophy (2002) First-team All-Pac-10 (2002) Second-team All-Pac-10 (2001)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 86 Games started: 55 Fumble recoveries: 4
Player stats at PFR

Kwame Harris (born March 15, 1982) is a professional American football player from Jamaica. He played as an offensive tackle for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Harris played college football for the Stanford Cardinal. In 2002, he won the Morris Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-10 Conference. The San Francisco 49ers chose him as the 26th pick in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft.

Harris played high school football in Delaware. He was considered one of the top offensive linemen in the country. He played three years at Stanford University. During his college career, he earned all-conference honors twice. He was also named an honorable mention All-American in his final season. Harris was a top-rated offensive lineman for the 2003 draft. He played five seasons with the 49ers and one with the Oakland Raiders. He was a starter for most of his career.

Early Life and High School Football

Harris was born in Jamaica and moved to the United States when he was three years old. His family first lived in The Bronx, New York. Later, they moved to Delaware, where his father ran several successful restaurants. Harris started playing the piano at age five. He also began playing the violin in seventh grade.

He grew up in Newark, Delaware, and went to Newark High School. Harris played violin in his high school orchestra. He also played high school football. He was chosen as an All-American player by everyone. He was seen as one of the best high school offensive linemen in the nation.

College Football Career at Stanford

Harris studied music at Stanford University. He played football for the Cardinal for three years. He was a starter at right tackle for two of those years. In his first year, he played seven games at left tackle. He was the team's best backup offensive lineman.

He became one of the top linemen in the Pac-10 Conference. In his second year, he earned Second-team All-Pac-10 honors. He started 12 games at right tackle that year. In his final season in 2002, Harris started 11 games. He was named First-team All-Pac-10. He also won the Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the conference. Harris was an honorable mention All-American. He also earned honorable mention Academic All-Pac-10. Harris decided to leave Stanford early to join the NFL.

Professional Football Journey

Playing for the San Francisco 49ers

Harris was ranked as the second-best offensive tackle for the 2003 NFL draft. Only Jordan Gross was ranked higher. The San Francisco 49ers picked him in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He was the 26th player chosen overall. He played five seasons with the 49ers.

He started 37 games in a row from 2004 to 2007. This included the last five games of 2004 at left tackle. Then, he played 32 games at right tackle for the next two years. Harris was good at blocking for running plays. However, he sometimes struggled with blocking for passing plays. He also often committed penalties. In 2005, he allowed nine sacks and had 15 penalties. This included seven false starts. The next year, he allowed eight sacks and had four holding penalties and one false start. In 2007, the 49ers drafted Joe Staley. Staley became the starting right tackle. Harris then became a backup player in his final year with the team.

Time with the Oakland Raiders

In 2008, Harris signed a three-year contract with the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders hoped that their line coach, Tom Cable, could help him improve. He started 11 games that year. However, he again had trouble with his blocking and penalties late in the season. The Raiders released him after that season.

Short Stint with Florida Tuskers

He stopped playing football after the Florida Tuskers released him in 2010. This team was part of the United Football League. Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard Darnell Stapleton took his place. Harris played six seasons in his NFL career. He started 55 times in 86 games.

After His Football Career

After retiring from football, Harris went back to college. He wanted to finish his undergraduate degree. In 2023, he was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame.

Family Life

Harris has two brothers who also played football. His younger brother, Orien, played as a defensive tackle in the NFL. His older brother, Duevorn, was a defensive tackle in the Arena Football League.

Images for kids

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  Harris with the Oakland Raiders in 2008