BEAUMONT, Texas — From Lamar Athletics
A former two-way star at Lamar University – Jackie Harris – was on campus Monday morning for a small ring ceremony. Monday’s ceremony didn’t come with the same glitz and glamour as the one in 1980 to honor LU’s Southland Conference Track and Field Championship, but this one will be more memorable for Harris.
A member of 1980 championship squad, among others, Harris lost his ring years ago. Assuming it was lost forever, Harris had already made up his mind he was going to call his old coach – LU Hall of Honor member Sonny Jolly – to begin the process of having it replaced when he received a phone call that put those plans on hold.
“At first, I thought it was a joke,” said Harris. “Things like that don’t happen. I remember going home that night and telling my wife that someone found my ring and they want to return it. I was very excited to get the news.”
The ring was found by Francisco Gudino, who does foundational work on homes in Beaumont. It was found nearly four years ago. After taking the ring home, he and his wife began the process of cleaning the ring and were surprised the ring was still in good shape and they could read the name on the ring. The Gudinos began the process of trying to locate Harris.
“From the moment I found the ring, my only thought was we have to locate Jackie,” said Gudino. “That was the only thing I could think of when we realized the name on the ring was still readable. My wife immediately hopped on the internet to try and locate him and after four years, and some asking around, we were able to locate Jackie.”
A member of some of the greatest track and field teams in program history, and some of the most decorated teams in LU athletics’ history, Harris won multiple team championship track and field titles during his Cardinals’ career. He was also a member of the LU football team and was a rare combination of a defensive end during the fall and a sprinter during the spring.
Harrison was one of the program’s top sprinters during his career (1979-84). As a Cardinal, he set numerous marks that ranked in the school’s all-time top five in the 200 and 400 meters (including the school’s top mark in both events at one time). He was also a member of some of the school’s top relay teams during his time at LU.
The Cardinals won the 1980 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, which was the third year in a stretch of nine straight titles for the Red and White. That number doesn’t accurately display the success the Cardinals brought to Beaumont. Harris was a member of multiple teams that won the track and field triple crown – bringing home a conference title in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field.