Harris in their hearts

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This article was published 29/07/2011 (5187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Richard Harris died this week and physically left us forever. Still, there he was on Thursday night, filling our thoughts, grinning down at us from the scoreboard and even slipping into the Bombers locker-room to take part in the pre-game talk.

No doubt he was there at the end, too, when the Bombers managed to win 25-20 over the B.C. Lions with their starting quarterback in the locker-room. The Bombers moved to 4-1 while making the statement that they’re ready to push and shove with the league’s best.

Harris was special. Turns out the team he left behind might be, too. Take that back. For this night, the Bombers were indisputably special.

There were so many reasons to fold and let this one get away. When quarterback Buck Pierce went down with an undisclosed injury, hell, who are we kidding, they had a built-in excuse to lose.

But excuses weren’t on the menu this night. Just win, baby. For Richard.

Pierce is the undisputed on-field leader of the Blue Bombers but Harris, the club’s defensive line coach for five seasons and a bit, was the team’s emotional compass.

When he died of heart failure on Tuesday afternoon, the Bombers appeared to have lost so much of their soul.

But maybe they can find courage and compassion and drive from the memory of Harris. Adversity can crumble the weak or temper the strong into forged steel. Maybe there’s no breaking these Bombers.

Dorian Smith believes so. And after watching Smith play on Thursday it’s tough to doubt him. Smith was a terror on the field as he and his defensive running mates were once again dominant as they stake their claim to be the league’s best.

Smith determined long before the first snap he wouldn’t let this opportunity to honour his mentor pass by.

As Pierce wound down his pre-game speech, the usually stoic Smith stood up and took centre stage.

Smith told his teammates they had been lucky to know coach Harris and if their leader were here, this is what he would say right now.

Smith then lit into an extremely colourful two or three minutes of locker-room fire and brimstone that had his teammates flushed with hot blood as they took to the field.

“They came in here talking smack and I knew if coach Harris was here, he’d have taken his knife out and have something to say,” Smith said.

“I wanted us to go and honour him and pay tribute to him and celebrate him, and that’s what we did.”

Clearly the loss of Harris has left the Bombers with a void but leadership can spring from new and unexpected places.

Harris wouldn’t want the Bombers to quit because he’s left but would rather see them, much like Smith did on Thursday night, walk and talk and kick ass like he did as a player and a coach.

Smith didn’t just play pretend on this night but put some of the former Grambling collegiate star and NFLer’s game into his own. Smith collected two tackles and two sacks and he and his interior line partner in crime Doug Brown appeared to play with both ferocity and joy on this night.

Brown usually plays a seemingly cold and emotionless brand of football. Professional and efficient to the point of bloodless. But not on this night. Brown celebrated his friend and his sport and revelled in the chance to play in tribute to Big Richard. Time and again Smith and Brown came together after plays to smile and scream and hug. It was fun to watch.

The Bombers, despite winning three of their first four games, were a question mark heading into Thursday’s match.

So much of their identity seemed to be wrapped up in Pierce and his fragile physical state.

So when he left the game early in the fourth quarter with his team ahead 19-17, the Bombers had to answer to themselves and all the world. Who are they? An igloo just begging to melt or a brick house that can’t be pushed down so easily?

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Youngster Alex Brink took over the controls and finished off the win with the centrepiece being a eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

The defence did the rest and Harris was honoured in proper style. With a win.

Now it’s back to regular business and the loss of Harris as both a coach and presence will really begin to be felt. Or maybe Smith and others will truly pick up the torch.

Now that would be something to see. Something that would make Richard Harris smile.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca