Emile Harry, Now With Chiefs, Hopes to Stay This Time : Still Trying to Catch On

The word that often came to mind when watching wide receiver Emile Harry play at Fountain Valley High School was fluid. He was a smooth operator.

Harry wasn’t Orange County’s biggest or fastest receiver, but he was certainly the most elusive. He caught 52 passes for 1,141 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior season and was named the Southern Section’s Division I Player of the Year.

He turned down scholarship offers from USC, UCLA and Notre Dame in favor of Stanford, where he was as interested in the school’s curriculum as its passing offense. He made a good decision.

Harry, who started for three seasons, was ranked third in career receptions with 123 catches for 2,270 yards and 15 touchdowns, despite being injured most of his senior season.

After graduation, he looked forward to a National Football League career: “It’s been my dream to play in the NFL since I started playing football in the streets,” he said.

But Harry has found such a career elusive. He has not found stardom, as have some other former Orange County players who have reached the NFL. Instead, Harry’s career has been a struggle, trying to beat the odds.

He was drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons. He began training twice a day, running five miles and bicycling 30 miles. He reported to camp in the summer of 1985 in the best shape of his career.

Harry impressed the Falcon coaching staff in the exhibition season. He was considered a valuable commodity as a receiver-kickoff returner on the 45-man roster being introduced that season.

But only four days before the season opened, the Falcons traded for veteran wide receiver Charlie Brown of the Washington Redskins, and Harry was cut.

“It was a major disappointment,” Harry said. “I thought I played well, but I kept wondering what would have happened if I had just played a little bit better.

“I came to realize it (getting cut) was something I couldn’t control. Charlie Brown was a veteran, a proven player, so I understood.”

But understanding could not hide Harry’s disappointment. He had tryouts with the 49ers, Chiefs and Redskins during the 1985 season, but no one offered him a position.

“The tryouts were more like look-sees for the next season,” he said. “Some teams brought me in, and I wasn’t on the field more than 15 minutes. The Redskins timed me in the 40, did a short interview and then said thanks for trying out.

“I felt good about the Chiefs. They gave me an hour and a half workout. I ran a lot of patterns and routes and got the opportunity to show them what I could do. It was encouraging.”

Harry signed a free-agent contract with the Chiefs for the 1986 season, then returned to Palo Alto. This time, he was determined to make it in the NFL, and he figured the only way to do it was through hard work.

So, he trained with James Lofton, a Green Bay All-Pro receiver, in the off-season and lifted weights with Kermit Washington, a former NBA player and Stanford assistant basketball coach.

“I worked on the mechanics of running and practiced pass patterns with James Lofton,” he said. “I went back to basics. I also talked a lot about playing in the NFL with Lofton. He’s been a good friend.”

When the Chiefs broke camp in August, Coach John Mackovic announced that he would carry five receivers. Harry was the team’s fifth receiver and thought he had made the team.

But Mackovic revised his plans, and Harry was the last player cut before the start of the season. Another disappointment. “I had set a timetable of three years to try and make it or I was going to law school,” Harry said. “There was no way I was going to give up. I had almost made it twice. I was so close.”

Harry’s determination finally paid off. Three weeks ago, Kansas City wide receiver Anthony Hancock suffered a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Hancock was placed on the injured reserve list and Harry was activated. The dream had been realized.

Harry is returning kickoffs for the Chiefs, averaging 18.8 yards on four returns in two games. He has also caught one pass for 18 yards.

“I’m learning every day,” he said. “It was a long road with a lot of hard work. I worked hard to get here, and even then, there is no guarantee I’ll be here next week.

“This is a business, not a game. There’s not a lot of job security here. When they lowered the rosters to 45, it got tougher.”

Harry is involved in activities other than football. Although he earned a political science degree, computer science is his interest. He served as a consultant in Stanford’s computer science department.

He also is designing a home he hopes to build in the Bay Area and is finishing a collection of short stories that he hopes to publish.

But for now, football remains his primary interest. It’s one dream he wants to continue living.