Need some great Fantasy Football advice? Listen to Bob Harris’ Football Diehards weeknights on SiriusXM Fantasy Radio. In addition to his nightly gig, Bob answers a plethora of Fantasy Football questions on Periscope every Saturday evening at 7:00. Bob’s high-speed live question and answer session is one of the most valuable sources of NFL information that we have seen. It is as simple as typing in a question, and Boom! you have an expert opinion on any player or situation you can think of. And, if all this wasn’t enough, Bob also co-hosts SiriusXM Fantasy Football Pregame Sunday mornings at 11:00 (all times are eastern).
Football Diehards is our favorite Friday Nite Date Nite radio show. Listening to Bob Harris and his sidekick, Mike Dempsey, also makes weeknight errand running a lot more fun. We can make quick work of getting in and out of stores so we don’t miss very much of the Fantasy Football discussions. Thanks to the SiriusXM iPhone app, we can take the show home with us and finish listening on our comfy couch with our puppy dogs.
We are huge fans of Bob Harris and were ridiculously happy when he agreed to an interview! Bob is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame (Class of 2012) and was the FSWA Writer of the Year in 2005. He has given us countless advice and has also offered genuine encouragement.
Bob Harris is into heavy metal bands, and says he loves every single one of them through the entire range of metal. We asked which band is his favorite and he compared that question to asking a parent to pick a favorite child. Harris says, “There are ebbs and flows, right? Sometimes you’re less happy with one than another; or more pleased; or proud. But you love them all. So I love them all.” However, if he could only listen to one for the rest of his life, he would have to pick Metallica.
Bob is also musically talented. He plays the drums and guitar, and has played a variety of garage and jam bands. He has played the drums since he was 10 years old, and while he still has a very serviceable drum kit, he plays more guitar these days.
In 1986, one of Bob’s friends moved back to Tucson from San Diego and brought Fantasy Football with him. It was an eight-team league that started Harris’ Fantasy Football career. Now, 31 years later, Bob is in 27 different leagues, which might be the most ever for him. Typically he is in more than 20 redraft/dynasty leagues – that is definitely expert level! We asked which league is his favorite, and he said he likes the ones he is successful in the most…kidding….kind of. That made me laugh because that is the exact answer I would have expected from him.
Because of Don’s Hometown League’s huge trophy, I had to ask Bob if he would rather win a trophy or a cash prize. He says he is fine just winning and isn’t really concerned about the prize. But, hang on, he goes on to say, “That said, cash can always be rolled over into more MFL10s or DFS accounts. So cash.” Come on, Bob, don’t you want a 4-foot tall trophy in your living room?
In 2005, Bob was named the FSWA’s Writer of the Year for an article he wrote about the history of the hobby and the man who created it, Bill “Wink” Winkenbach. Harris felt the article was important, so he says the satisfaction from the article getting some recognition was greater than the award itself. That was a really impressive award, so this just speaks of his humble spirit.
A few years later, Bob was inducted into the Class of 2012 FSWA Hall of Fame. He joined other high-ranking experts like Michael Fabiano, Matthew Berry and David Dodds. These guys are the Fantasy Football Elite! We asked Bob about his Hall of Fame experience and he said, “I had to make a speech. About myself. That’s not really something I’m all that keen on. Which is why it might have been the shortest speech ever (less than three minutes). More generally speaking, it’s obviously a huge honor to be included with people I admire and have worked alongside for a number of years.”
So many huge accomplishments, but Harris says his biggest is “remaining gainfully employed in a field I feel I helped create.” Very impressive!
After Bob’s Saturday night Periscope, he signs off from answering questions. His Sundays are unbelievably busy, but are his favorite day. Harris describes his typical Sunday: “I get up at 4 a.m. (Mountain Time) to make sure I’m up to speed on all the injury situations. Then I work out for an hour. Then I get back to work, writing articles for my website and preparing for the SiriusXM Fantasy Football Pre-Game show. The show ends as the games begin. I mainly watch the RedZone channel but I have multiple screens so I’ll tune into particular games if the mood moves me. Also, I sit down once the games begin. Which is unusual in that I work standing up the rest of the time. In addition to multiple TV screens, I have a handful of devices to follow all the fun. It’s the best day of my week.”
While we were writing this post, we listened to Football Diehards on SiriusXM Fantasy Radio. We can’t thank Bob Harris enough for all he has done for Fantasy Football, and for taking the time to answer our questions.