Andrew Harris brings "wealth of knowledge" to Roughriders

Yesterday at 05:55 PM

As a Canadian Football Hall of Fame-calibre running back, Andrew Harris could elude a defender with an improbable move. 

He just made one off the field. 

Harris was named the Saskatchewan Roughriders' running backs coach on Monday, joining a team he viewed as an arch-rival while starring for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. 

"I feel like this is a good situation for me and one that I never would have expected — being a Winnipeg guy and because this rivalry goes so thick within Saskatchewan," Harris said during a Zoom call with reporters. 

"But, at the end of the day, it's football. I know football really well and I'm excited to help contribute to the success of the team this year." 

The position of running backs coach recently became available when Anthony Vitale, a member of the Roughriders' staff for the past two seasons, resigned for personal reasons. 

Harris, who was working in sales with a construction company in London, Ont., was soon contacted by Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace. They were both with the Toronto Argonauts in 2022 and 2023 — Harris as a player and Mace as the defensive co-ordinator. 

"Andrew obviously brings a wealth of knowledge at the running back position, but he also provides different recipes to success — having been a part of four Grey Cup championships with three different organizations," Mace said. 

"I had the pleasure of being around him for two seasons and seeing his approach to his own game and his leadership among his peers, I felt then that he would be a great coach and certainly feel the same today.  

"We're excited to have Andrew and his family on board and looking forward to him feeding his knowledge of the game for the Green and White." 

Harris's connections to the current Roughriders extend beyond Mace. 

In 2022 and 2023, Harris and A.J. Ouellette were both part of the Argonauts' stable of running backs. Ouellette is entering his second season as a Roughrider. 

While in Toronto, Harris and Ouellette worked closely with Edwin Harrison, who was the Argos' running backs coach and run game co-ordinator in 2022 and 2023. Harrison is preparing for Year 2 as Saskatchewan's offensive line coach. 

"That's what football is all about — relationships," Harris said. "You've got to be in the room with the right people and get along with them, because there are long hours, long days. 

"You really get close to these people and form lifelong bonds. You need to be able to nourish those and have that respect factor and be able to lean on them when you need things. 

"I'm a rookie. I'm going to ask as many questions as possible and be a sponge and just try to learn this process and be as impactful as I possibly can." 

Harris left an impact on the CFL — not to mention would-be tacklers — while on the rosters of the B.C. Lions (2010 to 2015), Winnipeg (2016 to 2021) and Toronto (2022 and 2023). 

He rushed for 10,380 yards (the most in league history by a Canadian) and 51 touchdowns. He added 607 receptions for 5,489 yards and 32 more scores. 

Over the 33 games in which Harris lined up in the offensive backfield against Saskatchewan, he carried the ball 386 times for 2,113 yards and caught 95 passes for 770 yards. 

The four-time CFL rushing leader — the league's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2017 — enjoyed some milestone moments in Saskatchewan. 

For example, he played for Winnipeg in the first regular-season game at new Mosaic Stadium (on July 1, 2017). 

On Nov. 20, 2022, he celebrated a Grey Cup title when Toronto edged Winnipeg 24-23 in Regina. 

"Obviously, the fan base (in Saskatchewan) is a great one," Harris said. "It always was one of the toughest places to play. It was always an exciting place to play. I think there's a lot of energy and passion for the team, which is amazing. 

"When you have 30,000 people on your side and a whole province behind you that really cares about the team, that really makes (it special) going to work and doing your job, because there's a bigger purpose there. You've got people who are expecting you to win and be great. That pressure makes diamonds. 

"I'm looking forward to just getting in with the group. Obviously, I know A.J. and some of the guys a bit, but it's just about helping them get their games to the next level." 

While doing so, Harris can call upon his wealth of experience and scroll-like list of accomplishments. 

"As far as what I can offer, I was never the fastest, strongest, biggest, quickest dude," he said. "My edge was always my effort. My edge was always the way I studied the game. 

"It was all self-taught, really — the way I break games down, the way I break down individual players I'm going against.  

"I feel like my best gift as a player, which came from film study, was learning how to take a three-yard gain and turn it into a six, or a five-yard gain and turning that into an eight, or an eight-yard gain and turning it into a 15. 

"There are little intangibles that you can work on every day in practice and just finesse it over and over and over again. That's what I'm going to bring to the table for the Roughriders this year — and a lot more."