Chris Harris: KU football players won infamous fight vs. basketball counterparts
Former Kansas football star and Super Bowl champion Chris Harris of the Denver Broncos didn’t hold back Thursday in an appearance on ESPN’s Highly Questionable.
In the midst of an interview with co-hosts Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones, Harris offered his recollection of an infamous on-campus altercation between members of the KU basketball and football teams, back in 2009.
“Were you on the Kansas football team that lost the fight to the basketball Morris twins?” Le Batard asked.
Smiling, Harris responded: “We definitely won that fight.”
Jones followed up: “We hear the other way.”
As reported by the Lawrence Journal-World at the time, the brawl left KU guard Tyshawn Taylor with a dislocated left thumb weeks before the start of the 2009-10 basketball season.
According to LeBetard, Marcus and Markieff Morris’ account of the incident includes them back-to-back, taking on football players “over someone who was on the track team.”
Harris remembers the fracas differently.
“Nah, man. I mean that story right there, I think it was over one of the little track girls, but, I mean, we had 300-pound dudes fighting these basketball guys, so they definitely didn’t win,” Harris said. “I definitely watched it and seen it with my own eyes. We definitely won that for sure. I love the Morris twins, though. Those my boys, though.”
Furthermore, Harris claimed there wasn’t really a football versus basketball dynamic at KU.
“We (the football team, coming off back-to-back bowl-win seasons) were actually pretty good at that time,” Harris said. “I guess you could say they were running the campus. We were, too.”
Reiterating his love for the Morris twins, Harris said he had to have his football teammates’ backs during the heated disagreement, before again laughing at the idea of a humongous defensive tackles in a melee against slighter basketball players.
“It’s not fair to fight a 6-foot point guard or 6-7, 6-9 power forward. I think we had a little advantage,” Harris recalled, wearing a grin.
Harris, who played with volatile cornerback Aqib Talib at Kansas and is teamed up with him again in Denver, also shared on ESPN one of his favorite Talib stories from back in the day.
“I was a true freshman, and I was starting opposite of Talib, who was an All-American. We were playing Missouri. They had their whole team on the 50-yard line, and Talib just like ran through their whole team,” Harris said. “And they were warming up, running plays, and he like, they had to get the cops to come drag him off there, off their side of the field for warmups, back in the tunnel. So I was like, ‘Man.’ That was one of the craziest times I’ve seen Talib right there.”
Watch the entire entertaining segment with Harris below:
10 years of Big 12 supremacy: 2012
From the time of Big 12 divisions, through realignment and the subtraction/addition of teams and a new 10-team format, one thing has remained constant in the conference for the past decade: Kansas University's men's basketball team has always finished in first place.
All week long, we'll be looking back at KU's 10 consecutive Big 12 championships by highlighting the top players and moments of each conference schedule, from 2005 to today.
Our five-day blog series will feature two seasons daily, Monday through Friday, so check back each day for more.
2012
Big 12 record: 16-2
Top 5 scorers:
Thomas Robinson, 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals
Tyshawn Taylor, 16.6 points, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals
Elijah Johnson, 10.2 points, 3.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals
Jeff Withey, 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 blocks
Travis Releford, 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals
3 memorable moments
No. 1 — Kansas claims epic win in Border War finale
- Kansas ended its longstanding Border War with Missouri with a thrilling, 87-86 overtime victory in front of a hysterical Allen Fieldhouse crowd. Down 19 to their rivals early in the second half, the Jayhawks came back to life in the closing minutes to clinch at least a share of an eighth consecutive Big 12 title. Forward Thomas Robinson (28 points, 12 rebounds) saved the day with a three-point play on offense and a blocked shot for the ages in the final seconds of regulation.
“I’m not the most emotional guy, but that’s as good as it gets. It’s as exciting of a game as I’ve ever been part of. It’s the best home win I can remember us having."
— Bill Self
No. 2 — CELEBR-EIGHT: Kansas clinches outright crown
- Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson combined for 44 points in a 70-58 Kansas victory at Oklahoma State that sealed the Jayhawks' eighth straight Big 12 title outright.
“We knew what we had before we hit the floor (this season), before the whole world saw it. I knew our guys weren’t scared to work hard. Proving ourselves to people was motivation to us. I think it had everything to do with it, to prove to everybody we could come back and defend our title.”
— Thomas Robinson
No. 3 — Emotional rescue: KU, Thomas Robinson hold it together, edge Texas
- On the one-year anniversary of the death of his mother, Lisa, Thomas Robinson helped Kansas win, 69-66, at Texas, where he produced 17 points and nine rebounds, and Tyshawn Taylor led KU with 22 points.
“I wouldn’t say it was too emotional. No disrespect or anything, but that’s something I have to live with every day. For the media, it’s the anniversary, but for me it’s every day.”
— Thomas Robinson
2012 BIG 12 STANDINGS
Kansas, 16-2
Missouri, 14-4
Baylor, 12-6
Iowa State, 12-6
Kansas State, 10-8
Texas, 9-9
Oklahoma State, 7-11
Oklahoma, 5-13
Texas A&M, 4-14
Texas Tech, 1-17
10 years of Big 12 supremacy
Thursday: 2011 and 2012
Friday: 2013 and 2014
10 years of Big 12 supremacy: 2011
From the time of Big 12 divisions, through realignment and the subtraction/addition of teams and a new 10-team format, one thing has remained constant in the conference for the past decade: Kansas University's men's basketball team has always finished in first place.
All week long, we'll be looking back at KU's 10 consecutive Big 12 championships by highlighting the top players and moments of each conference schedule, from 2005 to today.
Our five-day blog series will feature two seasons daily, Monday through Friday, so check back each day for more.
2011
Big 12 record: 14-2
Top 5 scorers:
Marcus Morris (jr., F), 17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds
Markieff Morris (jr., F), 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks
Tyrel Reed (sr., G), 9.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals
Tyshawn Taylor (jr., G), 9.3 points, 4.6 assists
Josh Selby (fr., G), 7.9 points, 2.2 assists
3 memorable moments
No. 1 — Uplifting experience: Robinson heroic vs. 'Cats
- Grief-stricken, Thomas Robinson returned to the Kansas lineup three days after his mother, Lisa, was buried. The backup power forward struggled early on before finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds in a 90-66 rout of Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I played tonight because I cannot sit around too long. I knew my mother wouldn’t want me to sit around crying about it forever."
— Thomas Robinson
No. 2 — Seventh heaven: Jayhawks beat Missouri, claim league title outright
- Marcus Morris went for 21 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas closed out the regular season with a 70-66 win at rival Missouri, snapping a 17-game home court win streak for the Tigers and clinching KU's seventh straight Big 12 title outright in the process.
“We think of it as, a lot of teams can’t win one (title), so to get to two all the way to seven, that’s a big deal, especially when you have some legendary coaches telling you that’s a big deal. It speaks for itself. It’s Kansas. We do some impossible stuff here.”
— Elijah Johnson
No. 3 — Fitting tribute: KU basketball pays 'respect' to Lisa Robinson in win over Colorado
- The initials "L.R." were worn on KU's jerseys as the Jayhawks honored Lisa Robinson, the mother of forward Thomas Robinson, just days after she died unexpectedly. Marcus Morris paid tribute to his friend's mother by tapping the initials before every free throw, and hit two late to help Kansas win, 82-78, at Colorado.
“Me, Kieff and T. Rob were sitting in the room. He got a voicemail from his sister. She said to call him, and it was serious. He called back. He said he didn’t want any more bad news (his grandmother died in December and his grandfather a couple of Sundays earlier). She told him. He dropped down in tears. He felt he lost a big piece of everything in his life."
— Marcus Morris, on Thomas Robinson learning his mother, Lisa, had died
2011 BIG 12 STANDINGS
Kansas, 14-2
Texas, 13-3
Texas A&M, 10-6
Kansas State, 10-6
Missouri, 8-8
Colorado, 8-8
Nebraska, 7-9
Baylor, 7-9
Oklahoma State, 6-10
Oklahoma, 5-11
Texas Tech, 5-11
Iowa State, 3-13
10 years of Big 12 supremacy
Thursday: 2011 and 2012
Friday: 2013 and 2014
10 years of Big 12 supremacy: 2010
From the time of Big 12 divisions, through realignment and the subtraction/addition of teams and a new 10-team format, one thing has remained constant in the conference for the past decade: Kansas University's men's basketball team has always finished in first place.
All week long, we'll be looking back at KU's 10 consecutive Big 12 championships by highlighting the top players and moments of each conference schedule, from 2005 to today.
Our five-day blog series will feature two seasons daily, Monday through Friday, so check back each day for more.
2010
Big 12 record: 15-1
Top 5 scorers:
Sherron Collins (sr., G), 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals
Xavier Henry (fr., G), 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals
Marcus Morris (so., F), 12.8 points, 6.1 rebounds
Cole Aldrich (jr., C), 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 blocks
Tyshawn Taylor (so., G), 7.2 points, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals
3 memorable moments
No. 1 — A league of his own: KU wins Big 12; Collins sets mark
- Kansas sealed up at least a share of its sixth straight Big 12 title with three games left on the conference schedule by defeating Oklahoma, 81-68. Senior guard Sherron Collins posted 17 points and dished six assists before kissing the Big 12 trophy and winning his 124th game game in a KU uniform.
“It’s not the biggest story of the year, but I think from a coach’s perspective and not a fan’s perspective or a media perspective, I think your goal every year is to be the best team in your respective league. That’s who you have to compete against. To do it six straight years is an unbelievable accomplishment.”
— Bill Self
No. 2 — Tough love: Gritty KU sends Collins out a winner
- The Jayhawks' 82-65 Senior Night victory over Kansas State proved to be an emotional evening for senior Sherron Collins, who broke down in tears before and after his final game at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I thought to myself, ‘This is it. This is it.’ I didn’t want to get off the court. I wish the game could have gone on all night. I think it ranks in the top three (moments of his life). The last game here ... to go out with a win, it was perfect.”
— Sherron Collins
Colins wills Kansas past Wildcats in OT
- Senior guard Sherron Collins drove in for a layup to put Kansas up three with less than 10 seconds left in overtime at Kansas State. The Jayhawks won, 81-79, behind 16 points from Collins, 18 from Cole Aldrich, 14 from Brady Morningstar and 13 from Marcus Morris.
“It’s one of the all-time great road wins we’ve had. Overtime, against a very good team, a Top 10 team, on (ESPN) Game Day. It’s maybe as good a road win as we’ve had since we’ve been at Kansas.”
— Bill Self
2010 BIG 12 STANDINGS
Kansas, 15-1
Kansas State, 11-5
Baylor, 11-5
Texas A&M, 11-5
Missouri, 10-6
Texas, 9-7
Oklahoma State, 9-7
Colorado, 6-10
Texas Tech, 4-12
Oklahoma, 4-12
Iowa State, 4-12
Nebraska, 2-14
10 years of Big 12 supremacy
Wednesday: 2009 and 2010
Thursday: 2011 and 2012
Friday: 2013 and 2014