Before Demone Harris was playing for a Super Bowl, he was making plays for Bishop Timon despite a late start. Harris never played organized football until his junior year - hard work helped him compensate for his raw athleticism.

"I still remember him. Practice started at 4:00, you'd see him at 3:50 sprinting down South Park Avenue with his equipment already on," says Charlie Comerford, Timon's football coach at the time. "He wasn't even close to late for practice." 

While Harris was a talented basketball player, football offered him a better shot at earning a college scholarship.

"[Comerford] said 'you could have the possibility to play 'Division-I football,' Harris recalls. "I was like 'you know what? Whatever's going to get me to that next level, that higher level.' Potentially get me to where I am today. I'm very grateful I made that decision."

Comerford says Harris's prolific size and strength made him an enticing option to play at the next level.

"College coaches would come in his junior year, and I'd be like 'listen. I got a guy. You might watch the film, he might not look like a finished product, but he's got an NFL body," he says. "He's young. He works his butt off."

That work helped Harris stand out at UB despite starting having to walk on initially. After redshirting a year, Harris needed less than a full season to become a starter and earn a scholarship. He racked up 8.5 tackles for a loss as a senior, and showed enough potential to earn a contract from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2018 draft. He spent most of the next year and a half on practice squads in Tampa Bay and Baltimore before Kansas City snagged him last November. Harris says he never had expectations to be in the league and play for championships - it just worked out that way.

"Only thing I expected from myself is just to continue to work hard," he says. "I gotta honestly say that's probably what led me to this. No one expects to play in the Super Bowl. I was with Gerald McCoy in Tampa Bay. He was in the league for 9-10 seasons. He's never played in a playoff game." 

Harris has earned playing time as a reserve linebacker and on special teams - he has tallied four tackles in four games, and now finds himself one win away from hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

"You can't put it into words. I'm just excited for the opportunity to play in the biggest stage ever. The biggest football game ever a kid would dream to play in. I'm very fortunate."

Comerford holds up Harris as an example to the athletes he works with.

"If you're coming late to practice, you're not doing things the right way, you bring them back to Demone Harris," he says. "You say 'listen, Demone Harris did this, he did this, this is how he did things, and this is where he is now. If you want to do things, accomplish things on the football field, here's a guy you look at. He's a perfect role model for young kids."

High praise for Harris, who could add Super Bowl champ to his remarkable resume.