No one in Josh Harris' family wanted to miss a moment of his Pro Bowl experience. After a decade in the league, Harris was voted to this year's Pro Bowl, and a large contingent of his family packed up and headed west to Las Vegas to support him. His wife and kids, his parents and brother and his wife, his sister-in-law and her husband. It's quite the crowd, Harris told AtlantaFalcons.com on Friday from Las Vegas. But to spend these moments with them? It makes the experience even better.
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"We had practice and my son was out there on the field with us running through some drills," Harris laughed. "I think he even snuck into the team picture today."
And he really did. It's these moments and memories that Harris will take from his first Pro Bowl appearance.
In a way, this moment for Harris is the culmination of a lot of hard work that goes relatively unnoticed, but also, it feels like a full circle moment for the long-time long-snapper.
As a kid from Carrollton, Ga., the Falcons were Harris' "hometown team" growing up. When he went a couple hours down the road to Auburn for college, they still were. As an undrafted free agent coming into the league in 2012, that "hometown team" picked him up off the streets and he won the job.
Now, 10 years later, Harris finds himself representing the Falcons at the Pro Bowl.
"I've been able to kind of stay on this I-85 corridor for my entire football career so far," Harris said. "That has been a tremendous blessing."
To receive this level of recognition playing a position that isn't one normally known for glory, Harris said it really does mean a lot to him at this point in his career.
Thinking back to his early days, Harris has said before that his mantra was always pretty simple: "Do good today so that hopefully they'll bring me back tomorrow."
Year after year, Harris displayed a consistency that no one on the outside looking in ever took much notice of, and that's OK with him. He doesn't play the game for recognition. He plays the game because he loves it. But it is nice to get a pat on the back every now and then for a job well done. This year's Pro Bowl vote was exactly that.
"To get the recognition from the fans, from players and from coaches and to get the nod to go to the Pro Bowl this year, you know, it just really means a lot," he concluded.
You can find information about how to catch Harris and Kyle Pitts in the 2022 Pro Bowl here.
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