By Jonathan Tremblay and Patrick Boyle
The 47th Labour Day Classic saw the Riders beat the Bombers 48-25 and move to 8-1 on the season. Nearly 45,000 fans packed the rafters of Mosaic Stadium to see one of the most anticipated games of every season. Defensive Back Victor “Macho” Harris was all over the field with five tackles in the game. Macho is a fine example of what a Roughrider needs to be: tough, well-rounded and down-to-earth.
“I always wanted to be a professional football player. That’s always been my dream,” says Harris. Macho was born in New York and raised in Virginia with two brothers and five sisters. At the age of five, he was already watching NFL Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions 1989-98) and knew that sports would be his calling. He began playing at nine years-old. He dedicated every waking minute to sports as he reached high-school ball and three seasons at Virginia Tech. On the field, he used a nickname that his Dad gave him at the age of two; “Macho” was a tough kid and showed his toughness on the field. It was always a healthy way for him to let the adrenaline flow: “The field is where you can let your emotions and your aggressions go, cleanly-though, between the whistles [laughs].”
From Virginia Tech with First-team all ACC honours in 2007 and 2008, Macho was drafted into the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and then did short stint in the Redskins and Steelers: “through word-of-mouth, my name came to the Riders. My first season in Saskatchewan was tough. I battled an injury and worked hard to get back on the field.” And “working hard” in the Saskatchewan sense of the term. Macho worked on what he calls his “grown-man strength”, by laying pipe and welding in oilfields across the Prairies, notably in Stoughton, SK. “Twelve-hour shifts aligning fiberglass pipes really builds your physical strength. It definitely helped me get back to the game,” says Harris.
The oil and gas industry is not the only part of Saskatchewan that Macho has enjoyed. He went through the right-of-passage we call “Craven” this summer and loved every minute of it: “The last song I listened to on my mp3 player was by Young Jeezy, but I definitely enjoy some country now and then.” Macho is settling in nicely to Prairie life and has even found a local girl to share the experience. “She’s a Saskatchewan girl and we’re both athletes,” says Harris of his girlfriend currently playing in the Legends Football League (formerly Lingerie Football League). He doesn’t rule out settling down for good in the Land of the Living Skies; he certainly seems to have adopted our fair province very quickly. And vice-versa: “Playing at Virginia Tech, the fans were crazy and 70,000 people packed the stadium for the games. That’s why I feel right at home here. The fans are amazing, the coaches are great and the community’s been a blessing.”
What next for Macho Harris? Modelling, singing and acting are all avenues he explores on his downtime. But for right now, “Football is my priority, my number-one dream.” A stand-up guy and clearly a hard-worker, Macho is a prime example of our boys in Green and White, and how well-rounded you have to be as a professional athlete.
