“Chick was always one of my favorite guys to work with,” Capers said Thursday. “He was always so upbeat, very positive, you couldn’t get Chick down.”
In addition to bringing a familiar defensive staff, Capers, a first-time head coach, sought as much expertise as possible on the opposing side of the ball. Harris, along with coordinator Joe Pendry, offensive line coach Jim McNally, tight ends coach Don Breaux, and receivers coach Richard Williamson, was one of his first calls to join the team.
Harris had played in the league for 14 years by then, starting with Chuck Knox in Buffalo and going on to Seattle with him.
“When you were with Chuck Knox, the running backs had to be tough, physical players because they were going to run the ball,” Capers said. “And Chick had the ability to instill that in players; he had a great way with them. He could challenge you but in a positive way.
“He was the epitome of what you want in an assistant coach. He was loyal, motivating, positive, and someone you could always count on. We lost a great coach and a great man in Chick.”
Harris continued with the Panthers for the following three years under George Seifert but then headed to Houston to rejoin Capers with the expansion Texans in 2002.
In his tenure, he coached eight different running backs with a combined 15 seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards, including Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, Curt Warner, Ahman Green, Arian Foster, and Anthony Johnson here in 1996.
His son Tyler, daughters Tarana and Kara, and grandchildren Marley, Mila, Kinga, and Andrzej Cleveland all survive Harris.
