Shannon Harris Makes History As First HBCU Alum To Coach U.S. Pro Football Team To A Championship Title

Shannon Harris set an historic milestone as the DC Defenders defeated the Michigan Panthers in the 2025 UFL Championship.

Shannon Harris Wins UFL Championship Crown / CREDIT: UFL

HOUSTON - A historic milestone in football for Shannon Harris! The interim head coach of the DC Defenders, became the first HBCU alum to coach a professional football team in the United States to a league championship title.   

On Saturday evening, the Defenders dominated the Michigan Panthers 58-34 in the 2025 UFL Championship Game at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

UFL Championship Game MVP and DC Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu was outstanding after he completed 21 of 28 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and seven rushes for 29 yards, and one rushing touchdown.

DC Defenders - 2025 UFL Champions / Credit: UFL

Another Tennessee State alum, Defenders wide receiver Chris Rowland, caught five passes for 45 yards and added three rushes for 24 yards.  

Earlier this week, the league named Shannon Harris as the 2025 UFL Buddy Teevens Coach of the Year. His story is remarkable, as he assumed the interim head coach role after Reggie Barlow vacated the position when he accepted the position of head coach for the Tennessee State Tigers.  

"Yeah, to God be the glory," 2025 UFL Champioship head coach Shannon Harris said postgame. "And I'd say these guys here, man, the coaching staff, support staff, I mean, everybody's been on the same page since day one, since taking over, and, again, we just rattle it around each other, and it continues to just be us, we, and ours, so these guys, I mean, I can't thank them enough for the effort they put into this, the resiliency that we had throughout the course of the year. We have some great fans back in D.C., we want to do it for them as well, and God is amazing, man, God is amazing, and I'm very grateful."

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Ironically, Harris is an alumnus of Tennessee State University (TSU), where he played quarterback for the Tigers in the early 2000s. One of his best performances took place during a game against Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who played college football at Eastern Illinois.

"Coach Harris has done a great job of maintaining the TERROR!! Extremely proud of him and his staff," former DC Defenders Coach Reggie Barlow told HBCU Legends.

Jun 14, 2025; St. Louis, MO, USA; DC Defenders head coach Shannon Harris raises the UFL Championship trophy after defeating the Michigan Panthers in the 2025 UFL Championship at The Dome at America’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

In that matchup, Harris outperformed Romo by completing 29 of 43 passes for 382 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Romo finished the game with 21 of 36 completions for 381 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in Eastern Illinois' 52-49 victory over Tennessee State.

Harris and the DC DefDCders were relentless against a heavily favored Michigan Panthers team.  

According to theUFL'ss Coach of the Year's announcement on Harris:

Harris and DC opened the season with an 18-11 home win against the defending UFL Champion Birmingham Stallions. In that game, the Defenders registered a franchise-high eight sacks. 

The Defenders went 4-1 through their first five games, with wins over the Memphis Showboats (17-12), St. Louis Battlehawks (27-15), and Arlington Renegades (37-33). In Week Eight, DC clinched a playoff berth with a 33-30 win over Arlington at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. 

Under Harris" tutelage, Defenders quarterback JordanTa'amuu had a standout season and is a finalist for 2025 UFL MVP. During the regular season, Ta'amuu led the UFL in passing yards (2,294) and passing touchdowns (17) and was No. 2 in total yards (2,333) while playing nine of 10 games. Ta'amuu led aDC" ofDC'se, which ranked No. 1 in the UFL in total offense (3,454). 

The Defenders had an impact on the defensive side of the ball, as well. The Defenders ranked among league leaders in tackles for loss (1st, 59), takeaways (T-1st, 17), forced fumbles (T-2nd, 9), sacks (3rd, 22), and interceptions (T-3rd, 7). 

Although Harris took the helm, the team had Reggie Barlow's fingerprints all over it. Harris began to lead the DC Defenders in his image, and the team adopted his aggressive and passionate personality as the season evolved.  

Interim tag or not, Harris is the first HBCU alum to serve as a head coach and win a professional football league title. Many in the HBCU community are very proud of the Tennessee State University product, which has cemented his legacy in sports history.

Footnote: Mike Jones, an HBCU alum from Tennessee State alum, coached the Frankfurt Galaxy to win the NFL Europa title in 2006.

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Earlier coverage of Shannon Harris and the DC Defenders

Jun 8, 2025; St. Louis, MO, USA; DC Defenders head coach Shannon Harris reacts to a penalty called during the during the second quarter of the XFL Conference Championship game against the St. Louis Battlehawks at The Dome at America’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

DC Defenders Harris Could Become First HBCU Alum To Coach Pro Football Team To Title

After former head coach Reggie Barlow stepped down to take the job at Tennessee State, there was uncertainty about the DC Defender's direction. Barlow exited a week before the start of the 2025 UFL season, but the organization quickly selected Shannon Harris to be their new leader — a great choice. He's one game victory away from setting HBCU history as a football coach.

No HBCU alum has ever been the head coach of a professional football team while leading them to a league championship title. Barlow was close in 2023, but Harris and the Defenders can change this on Saturday.

"We owe a lot to Coach Barlow," Coach Harris said in his postgame interview. "I mean, the foundation, as you said, been laid from year one, from 2023, and we just followed suit. It came down to not just a one-man show. It came down to us, we and ours, and that's been the motto for us the entire season. We're going to do this together. It's not a one-man show on any of this stuff. As a head coach, you get the praise for it, and you get a record put on you. But at the end of the day, it was us, we and ours. And so I'm so happy for these guys and the coaching staff that stayed together."

Barlow (Alabama State) and Harris (Tennessee State) are both HBCU alumni who guided the DC Defenders into a chance to win the league championship. In 2023, Coach Barlow's DC squad was a 6.5-point favorite to defeat Arlington, but Bob Stoops' team won the XFL Championship, 35-26, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Jun 8, 2025; St. Louis, MO, USA; DC Defenders head coach Shannon Harris is congratulated by St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht after winning the XFL Conference Championship at The Dome at America’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Since the USFL and XFL merger to create the UFL, the Defenders return with Harris at the helm after they dispatched the St. Louis Battlehawks, 36-16, in the 2025 XFL Conference Championship. DC will return to St. Louis, Missouri, to face the USFL Conference Champions, Michigan Panthers, to battle for the 2025 UFL Championship.

This will be the second time a head coach who is an HBCU alum will have the opportunity for his team to win a professional football title. Barlow had his shot, but now it's Harris' time to gain a historic victory. Still, every victory in football is a team victory.

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Harris credited his staff, especially his offensive and defensive coordinators for the the gameplan: "Both did an amazing job with the game plan...On Wednesday and Thursday, we put the pads on and challenged our guys....It was going to take for us to run the football, and then it was going to take for us to be able to stop the run. And we were able to do that today."

In Week 6, Michigan dismantled DC, 38-14. Before the conference championships started, the Panther's odds of winning the UFL title were at +255, and DC's were penciled in at +450. The Defenders are the underdogs, but they still have a great chance to upset Michigan.

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Saturday's UFL Championship Game between the DC Defenders and Michigan Panthers will kick off from The Dome at America's Center at 8:00 PM ET. ABC will air the live contest.

Will Shannon Harris be the first HBCU head football coach to hoist a professional championship league trophy?

We shall see.

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Previous DC Defenders related coverage:

Reggie Barlow's XFL Run Should Boost HBCU Coaching Ranks, Open Eyes of NFL

During our pregame interview on Thursday, DC Defenders' head coach Reggie Barlow mentioned to HBCU Legends that the team has an "HBCU flavor."   Barlow's impressive tenure with the XFL, featuring offensive coordinator Fred Kiass (who has worked with numerous HBCU football teams such as Alabama St., Alcorn St., Tenn. St., Hampton, Alabama A&M, Southern, and Morgan St.), wide receiver Chris Blair (from Alcorn St.), and other assistant coaches, has brought great pride to fans of HBCU football.  Barlow himself has also contributed to this success, having worked with Alabama State and Virginia State.

The DC Defenders (10-2) were a heavy 6.5-point favorite in the 2023 XFL Championship game.  The coaching staff was confident, as well as the players. On the opposing side of the field was Bob Stoops, a former NCAA National Championship-winning head coach, who had devised a strategy for his team.

"Arlington took it to us," Barlow said in his postgame press conference.  "They played well.  They play faster than us.  They had a plan.  The offensive coordinator did a really good job keeping us off balance. We were able to not have as many possessions that we liked.  Of course, we had a few turnovers. And then a personal foul after we got the touchdown.  There were all things that were self-inflicted.  But Arlington is a good team."

Although Barlow did not win the title, he has provided the National Football League and Power 5 decision-makers with the opportunity to evaluate the achievements of an exceptional football coach who built an outstanding team and coaching staff from scratch.

"I'm proud of our team and really proud of our guys.  They've been fun to coach, proud of our coaches, we've had a good season.  I'm just proud of everybody's support staff.  There are a lot of people that allowed us to be where we are.  And we're just grateful for them, really grateful for the owners of the XFL for giving us this platform for all the teams, all the coaches, and all players," Barlow noted.

Numerous XFL players are hoping for a second, and in some cases, third or fourth opportunity to make a good enough impression for an NFL workout invitation.  Currently, tryouts for XFL players have been scheduled for 60 NFL.   Many NFL teams already have complete coaching staff, but some coaches will likely move into assistant positions in the NFL or collegiate ranks.

What's next for Reggie Barlow?  "I want to continue to get better as a coach. With us playing like this, there are opportunities to visit colleges, and NFL teams are during the offseason, so we can continue to learn...and, of course, do some fishing as well."

Despite not having the title, Coach Barlow's team had a successful season, demonstrating that his HBCU background is sufficient for him to become a coach in the NFL or college football again.