Cooper Harris enters his 13th season at Fort Hays State as the team’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach in 2025. Prior to Fort Hays State, Harris spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Washburn University, where he served as the defensive coordinator in 2011. Harris spent nine years together with Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown on the coaching staff at Washburn.
In his time at FHSU, Harris has coached 80 All-MIAA selections on defense, including 72 over the last 10 years. He helped the Tigers to a winning record in seven-straight seasons, including back-to-back NCAA Playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018, and back-to-back bowl appearances in 2015 and 2016 (Mineral Water Bowl and Heart of Texas Bowl). He helped the Tigers to an undefeated MIAA Championship in 2017, the program's first conference championship in 22 years, then backed that with another MIAA Championship in 2018. FHSU set a new school record for wins in 2017 with 11, passing the old mark of eight, and followed with nine in 2018 to accumulate a 20-4 overall record in that span. Fort Hays State has 14 All-America selections on defense under Harris' guidance, with 13 of the selections over the last nine years.
Harris coached defensive back Micheal Jordan to All-America honors in 2014, then linebacker Brock Long and defensive back Daniel Lindsey to the same status in 2015. Long set a new FHSU record for tackles (171) and tackles for loss (21.5) in a season, earning All-America First Team selections by two organizations, and he was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award (Small College Defensive Player of the Year). In 2016, Harris coached four All-America selections led by Sie Doe, Jr., the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. At defensive end, Doe set a new FHSU single-season record in sacks with 15 and his 21.5 career sacks over two years tied the school's career record. Doe earned All-America First Team honors from three organizations and was also the D2CCA Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year, adding 81 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss to his impressive sack count. Doe gave FHSU a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award for the second straight year. Cornerback Raheeme Dumas earned All-America First Team honors from one organization, while honorable mention selections also went to linebacker Alex Schmidtberger and defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd.
In 2017, Harris coached three All-America selections led by Shepherd, who gave FHSU the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. Shepherd was a first team selection by three organizations, while linebacker Jose Delgado earned third-team honors and defensive back Doyin Jibowu was an honorable mention selection by the Don Hansen Football Committee. Shepherd tied as the top vote receiver from NCAA Division II for the Cliff Harris Award. Following the 2017 season, Shepherd participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine before getting selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
In 2018, Harris coached three All-America selections once again, led by Delgado at linebacker who netted the third-consecutive MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Award for Fort Hays State. Delgado was also named D2CAA Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year, giving FHSU that honor for the second time in three years after Doe earned the award in 2016. Delgado received All-America First Team honors from the D2CCA and Don Hansen Football Committee, while earning a Second Team selection from D2Football.com. He finished a tremendous career at FHSU with 403 tackles, setting a new school record. Delgado also gave FHSU a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award for a fourth-straight year. Jibowu and Wyatt Parker were the other two Tigers to receive All-America honors, Jibowu a third-team selection at safety and Parker an honorable mention pick at defensive tackle. The Tigers have seen three players earn repeat All-America honors under Harris' guidance on defense, which includes Shepherd, Delgado, and Jibowu.
In 2024, FHSU produced its fourth MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in Harris' time as defensive coordinator when defensive lineman Myles Menges earned the honor. He was an All-America selection by three organizations with the highest honor being a first-team selection by the AFCA. Menges was also a finalist for the annual Cliff Harris Award and wrapped his career as a four-time All-MIAA selection.
Harris spent 10 seasons on the coaching staff at Washburn. He was the defensive coordinator and coached safeties for the Ichabods in 2011 when the team won a school-record 10 games and their first playoff game in school history. The 2011 defense set a new school record for sacks in a game with nine against Truman and ranked 17th in the nation in turnover margin. During his tenure, he also spent time coaching the Ichabod linebackers and special teams.
While at Washburn, Harris coached seven of the top 10 tacklers in Ichabod history and two All-American linebackers, Grant Gould and Zach Watkins. Harris also coached seven all-region picks and 22 All-MIAA selections at Washburn including Watkins, who was the 2006 MIAA Freshman of the Year and 2009 MIAA and Southwest Region Defensive Player of the Year.
Prior to coaching at Washburn, Harris spent one season as a graduate assistant for the 2001 NCAA Division II Champion North Dakota Fighting Sioux, coaching the tight ends. In 2000, Harris was the defensive coordinator at William Aberhart High School in Calgary, Alberta where he helped coach the team to a city championship.
Harris played in the Canadian Football League from 1995-2000 for the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was a linebacker, special teams captain and special teams MVP in 1998 for Hamilton and was a member of two Grey Cup champion teams.
Harris played collegiately at Pittsburg State University from 1992-1994, earning all-conference second team honors in 1993 and all-conference first team honors in 1994. As a senior, Harris was a team captain and most valuable defensive player two times at linebacker. He recorded 295 tackles in his career, which ranks ninth on the Pittsburg State all-time tackles list. He recorded 17 in the 1992 NCAA national championship game against Jacksonville State.
Before transferring to Pittsburg State, Harris was an All-America Honorable Mention and all-conference first team choice at Independence (Kan.) Community College. He was also the team captain and chosen as the team’s Most Valuable Player.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Harris graduated from Pittsburg State in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. He has also earned his master’s degree in Sports Psychology from the University of North Dakota.
Cooper’s father, Wayne, is in the Canadian Football League’s Hall of Fame and the NCAA College Football Hall of Fame. He and his wife Summer have two daughters, Piper and Collins.
