MIAMI (Feb. 24, 2015) – Head Coach Ron Turner announced on Tuesday the addition of Tim Harris, Jr., to his coaching staff. Harris will coach the running backs, replacing Kerry Dixon II, who joined the Florida Gators coaching staff in early February.
 
"Tim Harris, Jr., is a tireless worker," Turner said. "He has done an outstanding job at a highly-successful high school program (Booker T. Washington). He comes from a strong coaching background with his father Tim Harris, Sr. He has a tremendous knack for communicating with his players on and off the field. He's a disciplinarian who holds his kids accountable for everything they do."
 
Harris, Jr., comes to FIU after one year as the head coach of Booker T. Washington High School. In his first season as head coach, Harris, Jr., the Class 4A Coach of the Year and the son of legendary Washington coach and two-time Florida Dairy Farmers Coach-of-the-Year Tim "Ice" Harris (2012, 2013), led the Tornadoes to their second-straight 14-0 record, their third-straight Class 4A state title and a No. 2 final national ranking (USA Today). The Tornadoes capped this year's title run with a 54-35 state championship win over the Jacksonville Bolles. Harris, Jr., was named the 2014 Florida Dairy Farmers Football Coach of the Year, the 2014 Miami Dolphins George Smith South Florida High School Football Coach of the Year, the 2014 NIKE Football State Coach of the Year and a finalist for the 2014 U.S. Army All-American National Coach of the Year.
 
"I'm really excited and thankful for the opportunity Coach Turner has given me and my family," Harris, Jr., said. "FIU is a great destination. This is a program that kids want to be a part of and the direction Coach Turner and his staff have FIU football going in is something special. Being a local guy, I'm grateful for this being my first opportunity to coach in college. I'm going to do everything I can to help take FIU to another level on and off the field and in the community."
 
Prior to taking over the reins in 2014, Harris, Jr., was the offensive coordinator for the Tornadoes for five seasons. During that time he also coached wide receivers and quarterbacks. In 2013, Harris, Jr., helped Booker T. Washington win the 2013 National Championship, averaging 41.9 points-per-game. He also served as the Tornadoes' Head Track & Field Coach from 2010-2014. During that time, Harris, Jr., won the 2014 FHSAA Class 2A Boy Track & Field State Championships and was the state runner-up in 2013. He was awarded the Miami-Dade County Boys Track & Field Coach of the Year in 2013.
 
Harris, Jr., was four-time NCAA All-American and ACC champion for the University of Miami's track and field team. He earned a degree in English and creative writing from UM in 2008.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.