LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Former Louisville football wide receiver Harry Douglas always talks to his children about leaving a legacy. On Saturday afternoon, he will savor the fruit of the labor he put in to leaving one at the University of Louisville.
"Growing up, you dream of situations and things like this," Douglas said. "Tomorrow, my dream becomes a reality."
During the first quarter of the Cardinals' ACC opener vs. Georgia Tech at L&N Stadium, Douglas will see his number honored alongside some of the program's best-ever players. He still ranks second in U of L history for career receiving yards.Â
"It's a blessing. It's an honor to be able to get to this point," Douglas said. "It had to be a journey, and the journey is what you remember the most when you get to moments like this."
Now an analyst for ESPN who can also be seen sideline reporting and heard on the radio too, the 10-year National Football League veteran remembers the Cardinals' consistency in recruiting him out of high school. The Georgia native also recalled not even seeing the Louisville coaching staff at his football games. A multi-sport athlete whose brother played in the NBA, Douglas recalls impressing Cardinal coaches on the basketball court.
"Greg Nord at the time, I remember one game he came to, I had dunked on someone," Douglas explained. "And he was like, 'Oh, man, you got to come to Louisville.'
"I came up here on my visit and I committed. And at the time, John L. Smith was the coach and he left. Tom Jurich came to me. He was like, 'Just trust me. I'm going to make this right.' And I trusted him."
Jurich hired current Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who inherited a future star that needed some time to adjust to college football. One of the sports Douglas starred in was baseball, actually saying that was his best sport. He intended to try to play both, but Cardinal football's training camp changed his mind.
"Oh man, you talk about an eye-opening experience," Douglas said. "I went in that locker room and I was seeing Tweety Bird. And I told myself, 'I gotta hurry up and get home so I can go to sleep and take a nap.'"
No one would be sleeping on the smaller wide receiver for long. He posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for his junior and senior campaigns while adding 13 touchdowns. Douglas is tied for the most 150-yard receiving games in U of L history and still holds the single-game receiving yardage record with his 223-yard performance against Kentucky in 2007.
He also is remembered for dominating the 2007 Orange Bowl, posting 10 catches for 165 yards in a win over Wake Forest. The former Atlanta Falcon and Tennessee Titan ranks that BCS bowl win among his favorite Cardinal memories, right alongside beating Miami at home on his birthday in 2006 and getting a victory in a top-five showdown vs. West Virginia later that season.
Harry Douglas (AP Photo)
"Those are the three best memories I have," Douglas said. "But this place allowed me to grow and become part of the man that I am today. I take pride in that."
He still carries it for the city of Louisville. The outspoken personality you see on television actually showed itself in college.
"I never was shy about anything," Douglas said. "If someone had an issue, I wanted you to directly contact me and let's resolve this issue. I always spoke my mind. I'm very opinionated, and I'm unapologetic about that as well.
"I think my personality, my beliefs and the city of Louisville meshed together. It was a great thing. It still is to this day."
Saturday will be a day to cherish that greatness. And as he sits on the field of the stadium he starred in, Douglas can't help but thank his home away from home before he sees his number become a permanent part of Louisville history.
"This place is a safe space for me," Douglas said. "It allows me to decompress, compartmentalize, just relax my mind, relax my body and relax my soul. That's what the city of Louisville does for me personally."
"Thank all of y'all for embracing a kid from the south side of Atlanta, all 5'8, 125 pounds of me at the time. Thank you for believing in me, always supporting me and my family.
"I thank y'all, I love y'all and I cherish y'all. Y'all will always be number one in my heart. Go Cards."
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