A seventh-round pick in the 1978 draft, John Harris emerged as one of the greatest late-round gems in Seahawks history.  

After a standout career at Arizona State, Harris was part of a draft class that also included Seahawks defensive standout standout Keith Butler, and Harris wasted no timing showing he could make an immediate impact despite his status as a late-round pick.  

Harris started all 16 games as a rookie, recording four interceptions, and would go on to start 112 of 119 games played in eight seasons with the Seahawks. That rookie campaign culminated in All-Rookie Team honors from Pro Football Writers of America, making him the fifth Seattle rookie to that point to earn PFWA All-Rookie honors in the franchise’s short history along with Steve Largent, Jim Zorn and Steve Niehaus in 1976, and Terry Beeson in 1977.  

Harris’ best season came in 1981 when, playing alongside rookie safety and future Pro Football Hall of Fame member Kenny Easley, he had a team-leading 10 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, as well as three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Harris had at least six interceptions in four of his eight seasons with the Seahawks, and his 41 in his Seattle career rank third in franchise history behind his longtime teammate, cornerback Dave Brown, and safety Eugune Robinson, whose spent his rookie season learning the ropes under veterans like Easley and Harris in what would be Harris’ final season in Seattle before he was traded to the Minnesota Viking.  

“You go back and look at his numbers, there’s a lot of interceptions in there,” Seattle Times Seahawks beat reporter Bob Condotta said. “… He was one of those guys who would have fit in with the Legion of Boom. He was a guy who thought he was good and was willing to talk about it, then go back it up on the field.”  

And Harris was able to get the job done both with his physical abilities as well as his intelligence and instincts.  

“He diagnosed—he could see what was happening before it happened,” said Seahawks broadcaster Steve Raible, who was teammates with Harris for four seasons. “He was a good teammate, who tried to make practice difficult every day for when we had to go against our defense, and that was a good thing.”