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Florida Memorial University head coach Tim “Ice” Harris has come a long way since his days growing up in Overtown. Prior to his current job at Florida Memorial, Harris was one of the most successful high school coaches in Miami-Dade County history. He led Miami’s Booker T. Washington High School to 3 state championships, including a mythical national championship in 2013. Located in Miami Gardens,Florida Memorial is South Florida’s only historically black college or university. The football program began play in 2020 and competes at the NAIA level along with St. Thomas University, which started its football program in 2019.
Harris grew up in Miami’s Overtown section in the 1970s. Like many kids in South Florida, he was drawn to the game of football at a young age. But he didn’t follow the Dolphins or the Hurricanes. Instead, he used to watch a local semipro team in Overtown known as the Bucktown Buccaneers. Harris earned the nickname “Ice” as a kid because his favorite athlete was former NBA hall of famer George Gervin, who as known as “The Iceman.” Harris became a standout football player and track athlete at Miami Jackson High School. He played in the Orange Bowl in the annual Soul Bowl game against rival Miami Northwestern. After graduating from Jackson High in 1983, he earned a football scholarship to Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he played 3 years as a defensive back.
Harris started his coaching career in 1986, when he joined Ralph Arza’s staff at Miami High. Arza coached Harris as an assistant at Jackson. During that time, Harris quickly rose through the ranks and gained a reputation as one of the top young coaches in Dade County. He later had stints as an assistant at Miami Northwestern and Miami Central. In 2003, Harris became head coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Overtown. Harris had attended the school back when it was a middle school in the late 70s. During his time at Booker T. Washington, Harris coached some of the best teams and players in recent county history. In addition to winning 3 state titles, he coached his 3 sons Tim Harris Jr, Brandon Harris and Treon Harris. Tim Jr. went on to become an All American track athlete at the University of Miami and is currently an assistant coach at UCF. Brandon Harris played cornerback at UM and in the NFL. He is currently an assistant coach at FIU. Youngest son Treon Harris, played quarterback at the University of Florida, before transferring to Tennessee State, where his finished his college career as a receiver. All 3 sons rank among the best athletes to ever play at Booker T. Washington. In addition to coaching at BTW, Harris also had 2 stints as an assistant coach at the University of Miami, working under Randy Shannon and later Al Golden. To read more articles about Orange Bowl history, visit us at https://www.facebook.com/
