Learning Lessons : Glenn Davis Award Winner Antoine Harris Found Out at Loyola How Important It Is to Also Excel in the Classroom

A year after Antoine Harris surprised even himself by being accepted into Loyola High, academic troubles threatened to cut his dream short.

After floating through his freshman year, Harris discovered the academic rigors of one of the area’s most competitive schools. He finished both semesters of his sophomore year with a grade-point average of below 2.0, grounds for expulsion at Loyola, an all-boys’ parochial school two miles west of downtown Los Angeles.

Football coaches at the school carefully monitored Harris, who was 6 feet 1 and 210 pounds as a 14-year-old freshman. The school is always competitive in football, and Coach Steve Grady and his staff knew Harris had exceptional athletic potential.

But even Grady couldn’t save Harris from the academic standards of Loyola, which sends 96% of its graduates to four-year colleges.

“I think Antoine thought just because he was an athlete that he would slide by,” said Grady, who attended Loyola in the 1960s and recently completed his 21st season as the school’s coach. “He had to learn the hard way that he wasn’t going to receive preferential treatment.”

Because Harris showed improvement in his grades between the fall and spring semester of his sophomore year, administrators decided to give him another chance. He attended summer school in 1995 and did well enough to restore his athletic eligibility.

Harris continued to improve his grades, and in the process he became a top player on the football team as a tight end and defensive end. The Cubs were 23-5 in the Southern Section’s Division I with Harris as a starter, advancing to the divisional final both years.

After winning the Del Rey League title this past season, Loyola was rewarded by having Harris, now 6-4 and 230 pounds, selected as the league’s most valuable player.

In overcoming numerous obstacles on and off the field, Harris, 17, has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Glenn Davis Award, presented annually by The Times to the top football player in Southern California. The award is given in honor of the 1946 Heisman Trophy winner who attended West Point and Bonita High in La Verne. Davis is retired and living in Palm Desert.

Other finalists this year were wide receiver Rod Perry Jr. of Santa Ana Mater Dei, quarterback and defensive back Jason Thomas of Compton Dominguez and quarterback Chris Czernek of Newbury Park.

Although the other three finalists had more impressive statistics than Harris, none had overcome as many obstacles.

Getting into Loyola was Harris’ first major hurdle. The school requires a solid academic background as well as high marks on an entrance exam and personal interview. Less than half of the students who apply are accepted.

“The day we got his acceptance letter in the mail, I just cried and cried,” said Exetta Harris, Antoine’s mother. “It meant so much to us.”

It wasn’t easy for Exetta, who raised Antoine and his brother, Robin, 6, after their father, Robin Sr., died of a heart attack in 1990. She had to work extra hours as a pattern maker to cover Loyola’s annual tuition of $4,000.

With only one car in the family, coordinating Antoine’s school and practice schedule also proved a difficult task.

“Especially those 6 a.m. weight lifting sessions,” Exetta said. “We didn’t get a lot of sleep for many years.”

By his junior year, Harris had settled into a comfortable role at Loyola. He came into his own in the classroom, excelling in mathematics, which he plans to study in college.

And even though he hadn’t played a down of organized football until he enrolled at Loyola, Harris had matured into a talented tight end by his junior year, starting every game and being selected to the league’s honorable mention team.

After Loyola upset Los Alamitos in the Division I playoffs in 1995, college scouts also began to notice Harris. By the end of the season, Grady had a stack of recruiting letters.

“My big goal when I got into high school was just to play football,” Harris said. “When Coach Grady gave me those letters, it took me by complete surprise. A college scholarship was the farthest thing from my mind. I was definitely on cloud nine for a while.”

Harris came into his own as senior, becoming a rare two-way starter for Grady as a tight end and defensive end. He never missed a down despite playing several games with a dislocated thumb and back spasms.

“Everybody knew Antoine was a good tight end, but I don’t think a lot of people took him seriously as a defensive end,” said Greg Wells, Loyola’s defensive coordinator. “There were a lot of teams that would run right at Antoine, and they had very little success. They usually took him seriously by the end of the game.”

Bellflower St. John Bosco Coach Jerry Person found out the hard way. He tried to run the ball numerous times to Harris’ side, but his running backs were consistently shut down and the Braves lost the league championship game, 18-7.

“We couldn’t block him and we couldn’t get around him,” Person said.

Loyola won the Del Rey League title and marched through the playoffs before losing to Mater Dei, 17-10, in the championship game. Harris scored the Cubs’ only touchdown on a 14-yard pass play from Ray Kaspar.

For the season, Harris finished with 21 receptions for 412 yards and six touchdowns and was a main blocker for two 1,000-yard rushers. On defense, he had 68 tackles and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown.

Harris is taking recruiting visits this month and is considering USC, UCLA, California and Oregon. After spending last weekend at USC, he was surprised to read in two local papers on Monday that he had decided to sign with the Trojans.

“I said that I liked the school very much, but I also stressed to the coaches that I wanted to take all of my visits,” Harris said. “I’m definitely not decided yet.”

Exetta, tired after a long day of work, was getting ready to host several Oregon coaches at her home earlier this week.

“So much has happened in our lives, but the past couple of years will certainly be something I won’t ever forget,” she said. “We’ve come a long way, and I’m so proud of Antoine. He’s grown into a fine young man.”

Loyola staff members concur.

“When I first met Antoine as a sophomore, he couldn’t even look me straight in the eye,” said Father Gordon Bennett, Loyola’s president. “Now, he walks tall through campus with a big smile on his face. His whole future is definitely ahead of him.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Past Winners

* 1995: Chris Claiborne, Riverside North, running back/linebacker--Started at middle linebacker in nine of 12 games as a freshman at USC.

* 1994: Daylon McCutcheon, La Puente Bishop Amat, running back/defensive back--A two-year starter at cornerback with 98 tackles, five interceptions and two touchdowns for USC.

* 1993: Glenn Thompkins, Rialto Eisenhower High, quarterback/defensive back--He has played in every game since his freshman season at UCLA, primarily on special teams and as a reserve defensive back.

* 1992: Travis Kirschke, Esperanza, defensive lineman--As a senior at UCLA last season, he led the defensive line in tackles with 49, including 3 1/2 sacks.

* 1991: Billy Blanton, Mater Dei, quarterback--Blanton passed for 3,300 yards in 1995 and 3,221 in ’96 for San Diego State.

* 1990: John Walsh, Carson, quarterback--After starting for two seasons at Brigham Young, he was selected in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1994, but is now out of football.

* 1989: Kevin Copeland, Dorsey, wide receiver--Copeland died of a congenital heart defect during a game against San Pedro his senior season.

* 1988: Derek Brown, Servite, running back--After a productive career at Nebraska, Brown was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round in 1993. A spot starter the last four seasons.

* 1987: Russell White, Crespi, running back--After three productive seasons at California, White was drafted by the Rams in the third round in 1993 but was cut before the start of the ’94 season and is now out of football.