Harris took up the sport at age 10 while growing up in Chevy Chase, Md., and remembers being a good high school wrestler, making it to third in the Maryland state freestyle championships. At Penn, he said, he remembers being just a little below .500. A trip to Lehigh meant wrestling Bobby Weaver, who won an Olympic gold medal a year later. Sticking with wrestling would have meant a fuller commitment than Harris thought he could give while committing to being a top student. Harris does believe the sport changed his academic commitment at an early age. "It really helped me in life."