As a little kid, Texas native Duriel Harris had two goals in life: playing football and being a cowboy. He accomplished the former decades ago, in college and the pros. He achieved the latter in his late 60s.  

Football fans may remember Harris, then a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, as being the middleman on one of pro football’s most famous plays, commonly referred to as the “Hook and Lateral” play, during the 1982 NFL playoffs. (See sidebar) 

“Football took up the first half of my life,” Harris said. “Fortunately, when I retired, I was able to look into buying some property, with the idea of having some animals. In 2017, I got my first herd, after looking at everyone else’s cattle as I would ride by their properties. I decided to make the leap and get my own.” 

Harris purchased 24 AI Black Angus heifers. They arrived three months later. Two weeks after that, they were already giving birth. Fortunately, he said, they were bred to low-birth weight bulls, so no calves were lost. That was how his operation started. 

“For the past five years, we’ve had a successful cattle operation. We breed them, raise them, sell them.”  

A traditional beginning 

Harris started as a traditional cow-calf operation, but that didn’t turn out to be very profitable. After a couple of years, he segued into selling replacement heifers. That improved the bottom line, but he decided to move into what he hopes will be more lucrative: selling beef. He is in the process of ramping up that side of the business.  

Now, Harris plans to enter the retail side of the business, producing beef under his label, Duriel Harris Beef. The public will be able to place online orders. Building a foundation for growth, Harris has built needed infrastructure.  

He secured a nearby USDA-certified meat processor. That allows him to sell into Texas and Florida, if he so chooses. If business warrants, he plans to add a second processor in northern Louisiana.  

A commercial frozen storage facility has been secured. Harris likes to be prepared. He anticipates robust growth in 2025 

Harris concedes his operation in Ville Platte, which is about 20 miles north of Lafayette, is “super-small” compared to huge Texas ranches. He currently has 75 acres, but plans to expand.  

The ranch lies between a bayou and a drainage field. It is just off a well-maintained paved country road. Harris said it was the only piece of property he found that still had the original mineral rights. The previous owner used the land to grow hay to feed his racehorses.  

Harris chose the location for his ranch because his wife “won the argument.” She is from Louisiana and wanted to return to her home state when Harris retired.  

“We are hoping to increase the herd to about 45 or 50 mama cows. With our regenerative farming and with cross-fencing, we can run that many head without it causing a problem for us. We are looking to build our herd up to that. Right now, we have to cull, because of the 2-year drought in Louisiana, so we are down to about 21 mamas but we were up to about 30 a year and a half ago.” 

Harris is now looking to rebuild his herd. He has 11 calves now and another three due to be born soon. In December, he bought a registered 3-year-old Angus bull. 

Last December, Harris bought a 3-year-old Angus bull to improve the genetics of his herd. (Duriel Harris)

“The next calves that hit the ground in 2025 will be his. I am really looking forward to seeing what he is going to put on the ground. He has the right genetics. I am happy to be able to do that to improve the overall genetics on the property.”  

Harris believes there is a great correlation between football and agriculture. He said his experience as a professional athlete prepared him for working with cattle. Both endeavors require the right mix of passion and a strong work ethic. His success on the football field prepared him to enter the world of agriculture. 

“The one thing you pick up out there on the football field is how to work hard. I see that same work ethic in the ranchers and farmers I come in contact with. They are not just out there for the money; they are out there because they love what they are doing.” 

Embracing new methods 

Harris practices regenerative farming. He runs a no-till operation, and overseeds with rye grass. 

“We just cut it and blow it and it seeds itself. It came back the second year stronger than ever, and it has reduced my hay consumption by about 25%, so we are seeing the benefits from that.” 

Cross fencing is another practice Harris is testing this year. This will enable him to run more cattle and provide 25 days of rest to each pasture area.  

“We will run 10- to 12-acre pastures, in rotation. I really think it is going to make a difference in our grasses for the year.” 

Harris practices regenerative farming, running a no-till operation, and overseeding with rye grass, to supplement his cattle feed. He said it has reduced his hay consumption by 25%. (Duriel Harris)

Harris said his local Extension agent told him he “came into the game” at the right time, with a major shift in agriculture toward sustainability. Because Harris is just starting out, he doesn’t have to unlearn old methods, and is going in on a clean slate. Harris said he is soaking up all the knowledge he can, not only for his farm, but also his land. 

“I’m learning the new benefits that are going on that are really going to help me, going forward. I have been going to a lot of workshops on regenerative farming practices, on soil, water resources, anything I can do to learn. Getting into it so late in life, I have been trying to get on the fast track in educating myself, and it really has paid off.” 

Sharing the knowledge 

Harris enjoys sharing his new-found knowledge with his counterparts around the state. 

In 2021, he was appointed as a wildlife ambassador for the state of Louisiana. Duties included speaking to other small farmers in the state about the advantages of rotational grazing, regenerative farming practices and proper use of soil and drainage.  

In 2023, Harris was selected to be part of a delegation of Louisiana farmers to go to Washington, D.C., and lobby members of Congress regarding the upcoming farm bill. 

Harris plans to promote his beef via a new website this fall, initially along the I-10 corridor, running from his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, through New Orleans and up to Slidell. 

“We are looking to build a good following throughout the state, and hopefully next year we will be able to push our products into Florida and expand that market, because as a former Dolphin player, I have a following there.”  

Measured growth is Harris’ strategy. He will start selling his beef to schools in the region, participating in the USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program. Schools are reimbursed for what they buy from local farms.  

“We have already reached out to several schools to supply them with ground beef,” he said. “We are outsourcing to some other Angus producers to be able to have enough to supply the schools. We are hoping we continue to find schools that are willing to pay a little extra in order to provide a quality product for the kids.”  

After retiring from football, Harris spent 10 years marketing Las Vegas casinos. He plans to use those same strategies to market his beef. “There are a lot of choices out there, so I try to give them a reason to choose me. That is why I go the extra mile. I was not born to this. It was in 2022 that I made the decision to go into the retail side, and it has been a two-year process to get us to the point of actually being able to sell something. Now that we are getting there, I am really excited. I want to give them a quality product.” 

Setting an example 

Harris encourages young people to consider agriculture as a career, especially athletes and minorities. To that end, he wants to work with the FFA in his area to cultivate speaking opportunities.   

“I have already offered to speak to students at the schools where we will be selling beef, to talk about agriculture. If you become a professional athlete, when you retire, you will still be a young person. What are you going to do with your life afterwards? I want to inspire them to go into farming, and to let them know you do not have to be born into it.”  

When he was getting started in 2016, and applying for loans, there was still a double standard for Black farmers, Harris said, noting that the situation is much better now.  

“It means a lot to me to be a Black farmer, especially after learning how many Black farmers we have lost, and how many we continue to lose. It’s a new day. It’s a great time to get into farming. I know I am not the biggest name out there, but when I can, I do use my name to shine a light on the small farmers of Louisiana. I do what I can to make it easier for those who will come after us.”  

The ‘Hook and Lateral’ play 

Harris’ rise to football prominence in high school in Port Arthur, Texas, occurred during the wishbone era, a running back-centric offense popular in the 1970s and 80s, which limited the role of wide receivers.  

“In 1972, everyone was running the wishbone,” Harris recalled. “As a receiver, that was like going to a graveyard. My father and I started looking at schools further out west and found teams that were throwing the ball. We had planned to send my film sample to the University of New Mexico, but when my father sent it in, he accidently put New Mexico State. The coach called us and said even though he had received the film by mistake, he would like to sign me.” 

Harris visited the university in Las Cruces and loved it.

Duriel Harris spent nine of his 11 years in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins. (Miami Dolphins photo)

Over the next four years, he became a valuable receiver and kick returner for the Aggies. He caught the attention of pro scouts and was drafted in the third round of the 1976 draft by the Miami Dolphins. 

Coach Shula’s confidence 

With the Dolphins, Harris played for Don Shula and became a participant in a play ranked as the 43^rd greatest play of all time by the NFL. It happened on Jan. 2, 1982, in a playoff game against the San Diego Chargers. 

Here is how Harris recalls it: 

“Coach Shula was running a play in practice called the hook and lateral. I would run a curl route, go down about 15 yards and turn around, catch the ball and then I would lateral the ball to the running back in the backfield. In practice, it never worked. I would drop the pass, or the running back would drop the ball.  

“But Coach Shula had enough confidence in us that he called the play in a game against the San Diego Chargers. We had a minute left before halftime. They were beating us 24 to 10. We had fumbled kickoffs and punts. We get the ball with less than a minute left and he called the hook and lateral. I left the huddle thinking: this will never work. I’ll just catch it and get what yards I can. Thank God, I didn’t do that. I ran the route. 

“When I turned around, the pass was thrown to my left shoulder, so I couldn’t stay there and catch it, I had to lunge to the left. As I’m lunging, I realized I couldn’t run with it, so I decided to pitch it. I pitched it and then I hit the ground. I heard the crowd screaming, and I thought the running back had fumbled. When I looked up, I saw Tony Nathan going into the endzone with his hands up. It had never worked in practice, but here in the most important game of the season, Coach Shula called that play and it worked.” 

That play narrowed the margin to 24-17 at the half. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the Chargers prevailed, 41-38 in overtime. 

Harris wound up spending 11 years in the NFL, including brief stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.