Dennis Wayne Harrah (born March 9, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He played for and graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School in Charleston, West Virginia - now Stonewall Jackson Middle School.
University of Miami
Harrah was a 1974 All-American selection by NEA and TSN, Time magazine as a tackle. He was a Second-team All-America pick by UPI and AP. Was a 6-5 259 senior who could run a 4.8 40-yard dash and bench press 500 pounds. He is a member of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Los Angeles Rams
Harrah was selected eleventh overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1975 NFL Draft. He helped the Rams win the NFC West six times (1975–79 and 1985) and the 1979 NFC Championship Game. During his tenure with the team, the Rams led the NFC in Points Scored in 1976, Total Yards Gained in 1980, and Yards Rushing in 1976 and 1980. He served as team captain for six years and played in the Pro Bowl six times.
As a rookie in 1975, Harrah backed up starter Joe Scibelli and played on special teams. In 1976, he took over at right guard and held that position for 12 seasons. He was nicknamed "Herk" by his teammates, short for Hercules.[1] Harrah was one of the players who appeared in the 1986 Rams promotional video, Let's Ram It,[2] introducing himself with the rapped line "I'm a mountain man from West VA."[3]
References
- ^ Murray, Jim (October 9, 1986). "Herculean Efforts Give Him a Name in Ram Mythology". Los Angeles Times. p. 144. Retrieved April 19, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rams". Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1986. p. 129. Retrieved April 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ram IT (NFL Rams Football Team) Song". Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved April 17, 2018 – via YouTube.