‘I’m motivated!’: Reggie Harris lands at Inderkum after stunning end at Antelope
Reggie Harris has spent the better part of three decades coaching up kids, imploring them to get up when knocked down.
Life sometimes lowers a formidable boom. Harris knows it. He spent the recent spring and summer months reversing his role. He coached himself up, a loud man often alone in thought, sometimes in prayer, sometimes amid tears.
Harris’ first head-coaching gig at Antelope High School abruptly ended at the end of an otherwise encouraging spring season, a campaign pushed back from the fall months because of the pandemic. His resume was glowing: 12 hugely successful seasons as a lead assistant with the Grant Pacers followed by more assistant-coaching success in Florida.
Harris in April was dismissed as the Titans coach when, according to Harris, a disgruntled family in the program dug into his background in an attempt to discredit him. The search found that Harris, as a 23-year-old in 1994, was initially tied to a marijuana sting with a host of others in his native Virginia Beach, Va.
The charges never stuck. Harris was not convicted. The community rallied around the young man. The judge in the case, according to Harris, apologized to Harris that the case dragged on for more than two years and that he was even in this courtroom setting. Harris in that courtroom was hailed for his otherwise good standing by scores of teachers and community members.
Harris’ record was expunged.
In California, those who apply for teaching and coaching jobs are fingerprinted. There are background checks. Harris came up clean when he applied at Grant in 2000, and nothing alarmed Antelope folks when he applied for that teaching and coaching position in the spring of 2020. It was a hire that thrilled Harris. Harris was a big name in area coaching circles. Players always gravitated to him, be it in Del Paso Heights, Florida or Antelope.
On to Inderkum
And now in Natomas. Inderkum High School on Wednesday hired Harris to teach physical education and to head the varsity football program, to continue the legacy that started with 220-game winner Terry Stark nearly 20 years ago. We applaud the hire.
I’ve known Harris for 23 years. For all of his bravado and game-day glowering, Harris is genuine good people. He is a delight. His voice was big on relief and pride when we spoke Wednesday night. He said what a lot of coaches have said over the decades: “Coaches are the No. 1 target for those who don’t agree with us, and even when you do well, win games and championships, they still want your job. We spend more time with their children sometimes than they do.”
How did Harris keep his head up when anger, disbelief and sadness overwhelmed him?
“Faith,” he said, “and family. And area coaches such as Jason Adams at Rocklin and Casey Taylor (of Oak Ridge) reached out. People cared.”
Harris’ support crew includes girlfriend Jeannette and five children, including three under the age of 15.
“When you do good for people, good things come to you,” Harris said. “I’ve always believed in that. I don’t have a criminal record. I was falsely accused. I overcame it. But my world was turned upside down the last few months. Depression is real. I was on my knees. This is my livelihood. I worried about feeding my kids.”
Harris continued, “I told my kids that I’ll be OK, that I’ve got faith. Antelope wasn’t for me. That’s fine. I appreciate Antelope giving me the experience, and I loved those kids. I’m honored to be at Inderkum, to bring my leadership and experience there. And I’m motivated. You know me. I’m always motivated. I’m motivated to have an impact on young people. It’s a blessing to have that role.”
Harris has the blessing of Natomas Unified School District Superintendent Chris Evans, who is as good as it gets in this state when it comes to building up programs. Evans looked into Harris and spoke at length with him. He came away impressed.
Part of the theme of education should be giving people a chance. Inderkum vice principal/athletic director Matt Hinton said he was ecstatic to land Harris. In our conversation Thursday, Hinton thanked longtime Inderkum assistant Terrance Leonard for holding the Tigers together during summer conditioning drills. Harris said he will keep Leonard on staff.
Leonard is a keeper. He knows the Tigers players, saw a lot of them grow up in the community and mentored a good many of them. Starting with the first day of fall practice on Monday, Harris will begin to learn about players that will now look to him for guidance.
Inderkum off and running
An annual 10-game winner, Inderkum opens with a scrimmage against powerhouse Rocklin on Aug. 13, then the Tigers start the regular season at home against another heavy in Elk Grove. And then it’s a home game against Grant, a game in the making for years. Harris led Antelope to a 2-2 showing in the shortened spring season, punctuated by a 33-7 victory over Inderkum.
“Reggie has already hit the ground running,” Hinton said. “We’ve built a great culture at Inderkum, and Reggie is going to continue that. We are satisfied. We did our due diligence. We were pretty excited when Reggie’s name came up in the interview process.”
Harris got his work ethic from his father, Larry, who worked three jobs, including as a longshoreman. His father put wife Doretha through college and graduate school because the old man valued education, and he stressed that to his kids. He would ask young Harris, when he was 12, what his plan was. Harris’ plan was to teach and coach.
Harris was a three-year letterman in football at Hampton University in Virginia and got into his dream profession, coaching. He landed at Grant in 2000 and helped coach Mike Alberghini’s Pacers soar to regional record heights, reaching the playoffs all 12 of their seasons together, including winning the 2008 CIF State Open Division championship. In 2009, Harris was named the Twin River Unified School District Teacher of the Year.
Harris following the 2013 season at Grant was hired as assistant head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, a national powerhouse. Harris helped 32 St. Thomas players land Division I scholarships in his six seasons there. Now he’s so giddy at the Inderkum assignment that he can barely keep it together.
“To have the superintendent in the Natomas District have your back, the Inderkum athletic director have your back ... wow,” Harris said. “I wanted to cry right there. That was a lift off my shoulders. That’s what I needed — people to believe in me. That’s what I do for kids. I believe in them. I tell kids all the time that adversity creates motivation. Get motivated. Get your head up. I’ve got my head up.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.