From Deseret News archives:
Who in the world is that flipping Utahn in San Diego?
People around the country found themselves asking, "Where in the world is that?"
Utahns, however, asked, "Who in the world is that?"
The "who" is Marques Harris, a Utah native who walked on at Charger camp in 2005 and made the team. Last year he played sporadically, but this year — with injuries on defense and linebacker Shawne Merriman's suspension — he has been asked to stand and deliver. The Chargers won all four games that Harris filled in. He got an opportunity to show what he could do, and did. And that includes a back-flip celebration in full uniform that ended up on the SportsCenter highlight reel.
"We definitely proved the experts wrong," he says. "As a team, we've had a lot of things we couldn't control this year, but the guys have stepped up and have done what was needed. You have to be ready. You never know when you'll get your chance. That's what I've done. I've kept myself ready to go."
Born in Salt Lake City in 1981, Harris moved to Helper as a young boy (his mother worked for the railroad). Later, the family ended up in Grand Junction, Colo. After high school, where he was an all-state wrestler, Harris played three strong seasons for the University of Colorado before breaking his leg. He was given a medical redshirt. But when it came time to return, he thought things over and decided to return to Utah.
"The coaches at SUU welcomed me with open arms," Harris says.
His grandfather, Charles Wiman, drove to Cedar City from his home in Fruita, Colo., to see his grandson play. Wiman, who played football before face masks and says he has the nose to prove it, could see his grandson had something special.
"Marques really liked the coaches at SUU," Wiman says. "The team played a 3-4 defense and Marques liked the idea of playing linebacker. He'd been playing defensive end and down lineman in Colorado. In the game I saw, he dominated. He just took control."
At SUU, Harris was named to the All-Great West Football Conference Team, racking up 68 tackles and 11 sacks. When his name didn't come up in the draft, he decided to pursue a masters degree in education but first headed off to see if a kid from SUU could find a niche in the NFL. Today, he is the poster boy for such players.
"I guess I would tell young players, no matter your circumstances, keep working hard," he says. "As long as you have a goal, you have a chance."
