Harris, who was born on March 7th, 1950, in Fort Dix, New Jersey, played college football at Penn State until the Steelers, who were at the time during a rebuild, chose to choose him with the 13th overall choice in the 1972 NFL Draft. Harris was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 13th choice in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft, joining the league as a member of their club.