College Hall of Fame: WVU's Harris was 'The Man' in the late '80s
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Major Harris, who starred at Brashear High School and then West Virginia, receives his College Football Hall of Fame jacket during enshrinement ceremonies at the hall Saturday in South Bend, Ind. Harris is part of a 24-member Class of 2010.
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tim Brown struck the Heisman Trophy pose on stage at the urging of a fan after putting on his new College Football Hall of Fame blazer, then moments later, Steve McMichael playfully rushed past emcee Mark May as if he was about to chase down a quarterback.
Both drew appreciative cheers from the crowd gathered for a rally to see the 24 former players and coaches who were being enshrined Saturday. The biggest cheer, though, was for Chris Spielman, with nearly 100 people in the crowd wearing his No. 36 Ohio State shirt.
"This is how we do it at Ohio State," Spielman said to another loud cheer.
Even former Southern California coach John Robinson drew applause despite being in the back yard of rival Notre Dame.
"It's nice to be in South Bend and not get booed," Robinson told the crowd.
Among the others being honored were former West Virginia quarterback Major Harris, who guided the Mountaineers to an 11-0 regular-season record in 1988; Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who won the Heisman in 1992; Penn State running back Curt Warner and Dick MacPherson, who coached at Massachusetts and Syracuse.
Those being honored learned in April 2009 they were going into the hall and were inducted into it during a ceremony in New York in December. The event in South Bend was the final step in the process. Many called the experience humbling.
Harris, a Brashear High School product, was perhaps the most productive quarterback in college football in the late 1980s. He was the first quarterback to rush for 2,000 career yards and pass for more than 5,000.
In 1988, he completed 105 of 185 passes for 1,915 yards and 14 scores, and rushed 134 times for another 610 yards and six touchdowns in leading West Virginia to the Fiesta Bowl.
The next season, he passed for 2,058 yards and ran for 936 to lead the Mountaineers in both categories. Harris is the 11th person with ties to West Virginia to be inducted into the College Hall of Fame.
First Published July 18, 2010 12:00 am
