MACKEL HARRIS

Mackel Harris was the marquee player on Americus’ undefeated state-championship teams in 1974 and 1975. His play earned him 1975 AJC Class 2A Lineman of the Year, a Parade All-American selection, and he was a two-time AJC First-Team All-State selection (1974, 1975) as well as the All Middle Georgia Athlete of the 70’s. Harris averaged 12 tackles per game as a senior on a defense that shutout a state-record 13 opponents in 14 games. He was ranked as the No. 9 Georgia high school player of all-time in the AJC’s 2007 rankings. He also set the state record in the 100-yard dash at 9.6 seconds, which stood for 28 years. Harris, a four-year starter at Georgia Tech, was part of Tech’s dynamic defensive duo with fellow Hall of Famer Lucius Sanford. As a freshman in 1976, he tallied 109 tackles and was the recipient of the Clint Castleberry Award, given to Tech’s Rookie of the Year. During his junior season, he helped lead Tech to the 1978 Peach Bowl. He led the team in tackles as a sophomore with 107 and had a team-high 13 tackles for losses as a senior. Harris spent a brief time in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys before beginning a career at the Life University School of Chiropractic Medicine for more than three decades.