Most said he was a no-nonsense, strict, disciplinarian kind of guy. But what they ended up with was a caring, strong, family-oriented, passionate man. The man was Fred Harris.
Harris, a prominent Jackson Public School head basketball coach and vice-principal, died on July 26 after suffering a heart attack in his home. He was 47.
A native of Vicksburg, Miss., Harris coached at Jim Hill for what would have been 20 seasons this upcoming school year. He led the Tigers to several state tournaments. With a career coaching record of 325-254 while at Jim Hill, Harris touched the lives of many young men.
Zaveon Cooper had the opportunity to not only play for Harris, but also coach with him years later.
“He was extremely instrumental in my growth as a coach,” said Cooper. “When I joined the coaching staff in 2001, we grew together. And it showed in the success of our team.”
That success was evident with the team going to two of five state tournaments during Harris’ tenure with Cooper as an assistant.
“He worked hard as a coach and that forced us to work harder as players,” said Cooper. “And to actually coach with him was indeed a great experience.”
Jim Hill Principal Lydia Haynes said that Harris had served as her assistant principal for the past five years.
“Coach was well respected by his staff and the students,” said Haynes. “He was a strict disciplinarian and very ethical.”
Not only was Harris loved in the school house, he was loved even more at home. Harris’ older brother Reginald Harris said that his brother was the exact same at home as he was at work.
“He was a strong guy with a passion for everything he did,” said Reginald Harris. “He loved the Lord and was very family-oriented. He took education very seriously and his love for coaching was just an extension of his being able to be a teacher. He wanted to teach.”
Reginald Harris joked saying that people would find out the relation between the two of them and would immediately associate the two.
“I’d meet someone and they would say, ‘Oh, you’re Fred’s brother?’ and I would say ‘no, Fred is MY brother. I’m the oldest, so I was around first.’”
He added that Harris had a quiet side – something that neither he nor their youngest brother Terry possessed.
“He was extremely quiet,” said Reginald Harris. “He didn’t talk much, so you can believe when he did say something he meant it. I think that’s why he was able to touch the lives of all those kids like he did. They knew he meant business. He would give a look and you knew that look meant business.”
Harris caused students to love and respect him so much that since his untimely passing, former students have created a memorial page in his memory on the popular networking site, THE FACEBOOK.
Students have created graphic pictures of Harris and written heartfelt memories. Several students said they would miss Harris’ morning messages of “lock outs and we’re having school today at Jim Hill,” among others.
“He was definitely loved by the staff and students,” said Haynes. “There will be a huge void now that he is gone.”
One colleague, Shenetra Burse, an Algebra 1 and Physics instructor at Jim Hill said the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Harris is “caring.”
“This year will be my eighth year at Jim Hill and I can truly say that Coach Harris cared about this school,” said Burse. “From the upkeep of the building to the safety of the students, faculty and staff. He was an awesome administrator. Everything he did, he did because he cared.”
Burse also added that everything Harris did was always well thought out and one of his most valuable attributes was his heart.
“His heart was as much in being an administrator as it had been in all his years as a coach,” said Burse. “He will truly be missed.”
Harris graduated from Vicks-burg High School and Jackson State University where he was a standout athlete at both institutions.
He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Along with working at Jim Hill, Harris was also a reserve police officer with the Jackson Police Depart-ment.
Detective Earnest Perry remembered Harris in working with him on the department’s Mounted Unit.
“We worked together on the mounted patrol (horses),” said Perry. “He was a great asset to the reserve for I know at least or close to, 10 years. His presence will be greatly missed.”
Harris is survived by his wife Areda and four children Bracey, Morgan, Cole and Madison.
Funeral arrangements have been set for Saturday, Aug. 1 at New Jerusalem Church on Old Canton Road in North Jackson at 11 a.m.
“Fred was a pacesetter. He didn’t follow trends, he set the trend,” said Reginald Harris. “He was a trailblazer. And he blazed a trail that will never be forgotten.”
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