Tuff Harris
Warrior of Second Chances
No dreams of the future are bigger or bolder than those of a kid from a small town. For some, those dreams wither on the vine of their imagination. For others, they are fertilized by the child’s own determination and the adults who bless the starry-eyed ambitions of the young.
Such was the case for Tuff Harris, a small-town boy from the reservation who dreamed big and is now helping others do the same. A man on a mission. A warrior of second chances.
Days after he was born in January 1983 on the Crow Reservation, during a bitter cold spell, Tuff Harris developed a life-threatening case of pneumonia. Doctors resuscitated him numerous times.
“The doctor told my family, every time they brought me back to life, my eyes popped open, and I would smile,” he says. “The doctor said, ‘Any kid that can do that is a pretty tough kid.’ My grandma started calling me Tuff and the name stuck.”
He proved to be not only tough, but a powerhouse of purpose. The athletic Harris, who is both Northern Cheyenne and Crow, grew up in Lodge Grass.
“On the reservation, one of the biggest goals is to win a state championship in basketball,” he says. “I played basketball, but I knew I wouldn’t be very tall.” So, he pivoted, setting his sights on football. “I was 9 years old and decided I really wanted to play in the NFL,” he recalls. “A lot of kids will say that, but for me, it was real.”
Friends laughed at his ambitions and his family offered encouragement, but validation from a trusted teacher was the turning point. “He said I believe in you,” Tuff recalls. “He told me the odds were low, but I needed to set small goals and be consistent. His words were powerful, and I started to believe in myself.”
He was a star on the gridiron at Colstrip High School, and college coaches took notice, but there were no football scholarships. “The University of Montana offered a track scholarship,” he says. “I made an agreement with them that I would run track, but also walk-on the football team.”
Tuff walked on and stood out, receiving athletic and academic honors. After years of focusing so intently on his professional ambitions, it was almost anticlimactic when he was finally recruited into the NFL.
“I truly believed when I was 9, it was going to happen. And it did.” His championship mentality allowed him to play at the highest level for five thrilling years with the Dolphins, Saints, Titans and Steelers. Visits home tugged at his heart and made him consider what might come next.
“I’ve always asked how I can help my community, the reservations,” Tuff says. “There are a lot of problems. I have a platform. I have a voice now.”
Days before retiring from professional football, he and his wife, Mary, watched a documentary on the plight of children on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Its impact was profound.
“These kids were younger than 12. Some had attempted suicide,” he explained. “The hopelessness, the pain. It just hit me so hard. I remember praying that night, going to bed wondering, how could I move the needle in that situation?” The next morning, a new purpose was born. “I had such a clear vision and idea what to do. It was powerful.”
It was Nov. 21, 2011. He told Mary, pregnant with their first child, they were moving home to Montana. Like the doctors who had breathed life back into his body as a baby, Tuff was determined to speak hope and breathe life into his people.
With help and encouragement from the faith community in Billings, Tuff launched his passion project, One Heart Warriors. It’s a comprehensive discipleship and leadership program, for those who often lack the basic skills and confidence required to live a healthy, self-sustaining life.
“All of our warriors come in with a story,” he says. “They’ve been through a lot, some have had an addiction, some abuse. They have a failure to launch into their life.”
One Heart Warriors is for everyone, but it does have a strong Native focus, with elements reflecting their culture woven throughout the program. They do outreach on the reservations, because the need is greatest there.
“I try to get them to a place to start dreaming again,” says Tuff. “If they can develop whatever skill they have and use that, it’s better than receiving temporary support.”
One Heart Warriors was created around five pillars – physical, spiritual, mental, relational and financial health. “A lot of the problems we see can be taken care of by being strong in these foundational areas,” Tuff explains. “It makes them less likely to fall back to addictions or bad relationships because they become confident and feel empowered.”
The program is flexible in length and structure. A six-week version is available, but there is a more immersive nine-month program, in which warriors stay in the One Heart Warriors residential facility on the West End of Billings, forming a supportive community and adopting healthy habits together.
They exercise in a group setting every day and their progress is monitored. In the kitchen, they learn how to use recipes, cook healthy meals and eat a balanced diet. “Many of our warriors come in and all they know how to use is the microwave,” Harris says. “Some of them will leave feeling like a gourmet chef. They know how to sauté and brine. They’re confident.”
The atmosphere of the nine-month residential program is what appealed to 28-year-old Mark Little Ghost, who came to Billings after caring for his grandmother in Spirit Lake, North Dakota.
“For me, it was being part of something bigger than myself,” Mark says, when asked what drew him to the program. “I really liked the community aspect of it.”
Mark, who now works for the city of Billings, first heard about the program through Faith Chapel, which is where he met Tuff and Mary Harris. Having gone through addiction, he craved structure, direction and a sense of community. He is grateful for everything he learned in the program, but especially what he observed between Tuff and Mary and the One Heart Warriors staff.
“It seems like a little thing, but it showed me what a healthy family looked like, seeing a family thriving and doing good things and loving on each other,” he says. “I think that’s one of the biggest things that helped me.”
A graduate of One Heart Warriors in 2022, Mark is now married and looking forward to starting his own construction business. In Tuff, he’s found a mentor, role model and friend.
“He’s been to the NFL but you don’t think about that,” Mark says. “He doesn’t act bigheaded. He’s the kind of person who sees things in you, sees your potential and draws it out. He means a lot to me. I really love him.”
It very well may take a village, but in Tuff’s case, it took a reservation to create a warrior whose heart beats strong in the belief that all are worthy of an honorable, fruitful life. A Native American proverb says it best: certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. That’s the perfect playbook for the kid from Lodge Grass who’s never wavered in the resolute pursuits of his heart.
“One Heart Warriors is the long game,” he says. “It’s generational, multi-generational change. If you can affect one person, it’s going to have a ripple effect.”
