Although he originally committed to Texas A&M University, to play for head coach Bear Bryant, head coach Bud Wilkinson convinced him to come to the University of Oklahoma, after getting him a job as a roughneck in the Oklahoma oil fields.
Harris went undefeated after becoming quarterback during the 1954 season, after starter Gene Calame suffered a right collar bone injury.
On May 26, 1958, he was traded along with offensive tackle Buck Lansford and a number one draft choice (#2-Dick Bass), to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Norm Van Brocklin.
On April 14, 1960, he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Texans of the American Football League, after spending the previous year coaching at the University of Oklahoma.
[5] He was temporarily blocked from joining the Texans until the court settled a suit filed by the Dallas Cowboys, to prevent him from playing for any other team.