Trevor Harris (2016) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Trevor Harris

Induction:
2016
Class:
1969

Trevor Harris
Soccer (1967-69)
Kingston, Jamaica
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2016

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Member of NCAA Co-Championship teams in 1967 and 1968
• Third-leading scorer in MSU history with 116 goals
• Two-time First-Team All-American (1967 & 1968)
• Led MSU with 50 points in 1967, the third-highest single-season total in school history

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2016

An international import from Kingston, Jamaica, Trevor Harris helped guide the Michigan State soccer team to back-to-back Co-National Championships during the 1967 and 1968 seasons. The Harris-led Spartans were prolific scorers, setting the school record with 77 goals during the 1968 season.

Harris was a true goal scorer who helped head coach Gene Kenney's powerhouse teams share national titles in 1967-68 with a combined record of 23-1-5. The two-time All-American finished his illustrious Spartan career with 48 goals, which still ranks third on MSU's all-time list. From 1967-69, Harris earned 116 points, which also still stands as third-most in Michigan State history.

"I am overwhelmed with excitement to be a member of the Michigan State University Athletics Hall of Fame," Harris said. "It's really exciting being recognized at such a prestigious university and I just feel very fortunate to be a part of that."

During the 1967 campaign, Harris scored 23 goals as a sophomore, which still ranks as the third-most goals in a single season in MSU history. The Spartans outscored their opponents, 73-11, and finished with a stellar record of 12-0-2. They settled a score with Long Island with a 4-0 win in an NCAA semifinal. Michigan State battled to a 0-0 tie against St. Louis to share the NCAA Championship.

In 1968, Harris scored 15 goals to go along with 14 assists as the Spartans battled to an 11-1-3 record. Harris suffered a severe ankle injury that sidelined him for the final three games of the season. In the national semifinal, Michigan State defeated Brown, 2-0, to advance to the title match. With a 2-2 draw against Maryland in the national title match, the Spartans were once again co-champions.

Bouncing back from the ankle injury that prematurely ended his 1968 season, Harris recovered nicely in 1969. In his first game back after the injury, Harris proved he was ready, scoring three goals in four minutes in a win over Kent State. He went on to score five goals in the win, just one shy of the school record.

The 1969 Spartans tied the school record by allowing only six goals all season. During his final season, Michigan State posted a 7-2-1 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Harris tied Ernie Tuchscherer for the team lead in goals scored with 10.

Harris was one of four players from Kingston, Jamaica, to play for Kenney and the Spartans in the late 1960s along with Tony Keyes, Frank Morant and Les Lucas. All four prepped at Kinston College together. "It was a real culture shock," Harris said with a laugh during a 2008 interview with MSUSpartans.com. "Remember, I came from warm weather and beautiful sunshine. You can imagine how it felt to see 26 inches of snow on the ground."

Having other Jamaican trailblazers in the MSU program was crucial for Harris. Payton Fuller was an All-American in 1964, while Keyes, the Spartans' season and career goals leader, earned the same honor in 1968.

"There was a whole line of greats before me," Harris said. "Payton and Tony scored a lot of goals. Tony was the main reason I came to Michigan State. He wanted me there. And I wanted to be there."

Harris also played with another Spartan legend Joe Baum who would go on to be the winningest coach in Michigan State soccer history. Harris and Baum helped create the tradition of winning at Michigan State.