Aaron Harris, a former standout running back at Penn State who has previously served as an assistant coach at Delaware rival West Chester and at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, joins the University of Delaware football staff in 2008 as running backs coach.
The Aaron Harris File
Born: November 15, 1976
College: Bachelor's Degree, Integrated Arts, Penn State, 1999 College Coaching Career: 2005-2006: Running Backs, West Chester 2007: Running Backs, Tennessee-Chattanooga 2008-Present: Running Backs, University of Delaware Recruiting Areas: Eastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia counties), Southeast Florida (Broward, Dade, West Palm Beach counties) Family: Single
Harris, 31, a native of nearby Exton, PA, takes over the running backs position after T.J. DiMuzio was moved to receiver coach when Brian Ginn became offensive coordinator in February, 2008.
An All-State running back at Downingtown (PA) High School where he received the prestigious Maxwell Club Award as the area's top player and was a Big 33 game nominee, Harris moved on to Penn State where he played for four seasons under legendary head coach Joe Paterno and earned his degree in integrated arts in 1999. Harris was a three-year starter for the Nittany Lions and served as a team captain.
As a redshirt freshman in 1996, he rushed for 587 yards and nine touchdowns and in 1999, he led Penn State to a 9-0 start and No. 1 national ranking. Penn State participated in a bowl game each of his four seasons.
Following his college playing career, Harris was invited to play in the Hula Bowl All-Star Game in Hawaai and was drafted by the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe in 2003.
Before joining the coaching ranks, he served as a teacher in the Coatesville (PA) Area School District and taught at his alma mater, Downingtown High School. He also worked as president of Debo Sports LLC.
He began his coaching career as defensive backs coach at Valley Forge (PA) Military College before heading to NCAA Division II power West Chester University where he served two years as running backs coach under head coach Bill Zwaan, himself a former University of Delaware standout quarterback, during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In those two years, the Rams went 17-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year, reaching the second round in 2006 with a 9-4 record. Both teams ranked among the top 10 in the nation in scoring and he was instrumental in the development of 1,000-yard rusher Osagie Osunde.
Harris moved up to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level in 2007 when he served as running backs coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga under Rodney Allison. The team went 2-9 but ranked sixth in the Southern Conference in rushing with 153.0 yards per game.
“I have been very impressed with what I’ve seen from Aaron,” said Keeler in announcing Harris' hiring. “He was a very good college player and received great recommendations from Bill Zwaan as a coach. We are very excited to have him join our staff and work with our running backs.”
Harris' brother, Arlen, played five years as a running back in the National Football League with the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons.
Assistant Coach Aaron Harris