There is a photograph taped to the back of the locker Andrew Harris uses in the B.C. Lions’ dressing room.
As photos go, it’s not particularly flattering. It shows the Lions’ running back on his knees, fists clenched in frustration, head bowed in defeat. Written across the picture in ink are the words: “Never underestimate a commitment to winning.”
The image was taken during last year’s Western Final which the Lions lost 34-29 to the Calgary Stampeders, costing them a trip to the 100th Grey Cup. Every time Harris looks at the picture he is reminded of the anger and disappointment he felt at that moment. Not wanting to experience those emotions again has provided him with extra motivation this season.
“That killed me,” Harris said, glancing at the picture, then giving his head a shake. “I thought we could have won that game, should have won that game.
“That picture is in my bathroom, on my fridge at home. It’s just something that has kept me driven all season.”
Harris had 10 catches for 75 yards in that playoff loss but was held to just 33 yards rushing on eight carries. He understands he wasn’t the reason B.C. lost, but believes he could have done more to help create a win.
“Every game I think about that last Western Final,” said the 26-year-old Winnipeg native. “I have to be better and I have to help the team to be better and not make that same mistake this year.”
Harris worked hard over the winter in the weight room. He came to camp having added about eight pounds to his five-foot-11, 213-pound frame. While that might not sound like much it was like fine-tuning the carburetor of a Porsche.
“I think I’m stronger through my core and through my legs,” said Harris. “The power lifting I did is paying dividends.
“You can see it with the amount of broken tackles I’m making. I’m just keeping the feet moving.”
After four games this year Harris was third in the league in yards from scrimmage (426) and third in rushing with 54 carries for 296 yards and four touchdowns (he now sits fourth, having played one less game than everyone else). He also had 15 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a very goal-orientated person,” said Kelly Bates, the Lions’ former offensive lineman who is now the running backs coach. “He put on weight but he hasn’t lost any speed.
“His pass protection has improved. His willingness to learn and his willingness to compete at a high level, it just continues to increase. He will tell you he probably hates losing more than he loves winning. That’s what drives him.”
Powerfully built, with a low centre of gravity, Harris can use his quickness to find a hole but is strong enough to bounce off a hit. Once in the flat he can turn on the speed. He is a strong blocker, able to stand his ground against much larger players.
Since 2011, the Lions are 19-4 in games where Harris rushed for 40 or more yards.
Harris rambled for 103 yards on 17 carries and rushed for three touchdowns as the Lions defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 31-21 last Saturday night to improve their record to 3-1. In the last three games, all B.C. wins, Harris has 49 rushing attempts, his most over a three-game stretch during his five CFL seasons.
In the third quarter against Edmonton Harris demonstrated some of his leg strength. He hauled in a 24-yard pass from quarterback Travis Lulay and was headed to the endzone. When Eskimo defensive back Aaron Grymes lowered his head to make a tackle, Harris vaulted over him like a hurdler at the Olympics.
“I knew it was a DB and those guys like chopping the knees out,” Harris chuckled afterwards. “As soon as he dropped low I just hopped over him.
“I’m not a big jumping kind of guy. I wish I could have scored on that because I think it would have been a highlight for sure.”
One of Harris’s quirks is to wear eye black under just his right eye. As a kid in high school he would wear black under one eye and white under the other as a tribute to one of his parents being black and the other white.
“I just don’t have white paint around here,” Harris shrugged. “The black has kind of stuck around.”
In the offseason Harris loves playing hockey back in Winnipeg. He believes it helps improve his leg strength and stride.
Harris was a CFL All-Star in 2012 after becoming the first Canadian since Terry Evanshen in 1967 to lead the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,830. He was third overall in rushing with 1,112 yards on 187 carries and also had 75 catches for 718 yards.
The numbers were impressive for a player in just his first year as a starter, but Harris always strives to be better.
Lulay remembers how annoyed Harris was with himself after the Lions dropped a 30-25 decision to Montreal in Week 10.
“All Andrew could talk about was his pass protection,” said Lulay. “He said it wasn’t good enough, he needed to be better. He’s worried about all aspects of the football game. That’s what makes him such a good back.”
In a strange way, suffering that playoff loss to Calgary might have made Harris a better player.
“They say pressure makes diamonds,” said head coach Mike Benevides. “In order to get better in life something has to give you resistance.
“He has been motivated by that (playoff loss). For him, it really catapulted him to work a little harder, stay a little longer in the weight room, watch a little more film and understand what the ultimate goal is for us.”
