It didn’t matter how exhausted Jack Harley was after a day’s worth of physically taxing labor as an HVAC mechanic, he always made sure his son, Jajuan, got his football workouts in.
At the Harley home in Tallahassee, the father-son duo tossed the football around to the point where it evolved into a daily task, like brushing your teeth or bathing. Harley believed his son would be the next Charlie Ward, a Florida State star quarterback.
“He put the ball in my hands at 18 months. We had to throw the ball around every night after work — no matter how tired he was — before I went to bed,” said Jajuan Harley, a defensive back for the Tucson Sugar Skulls, who host the Massachusetts Pirates on Saturday night.
While Jack Harley was an involved parent, he took a mostly hands-off approach when it came to coaching. He simply supported his son in whatever he did.
Jack Harley died in 2018 from chronic lung disease brought on by years of inhaling asbestos as part of the HVAC repair. His lungs “were deteriorating for 17 years,” Jajuan Harley said.
“He was a big influence,” said Harley. “He was the type of parent where if I wanted to do something, he’d support me 100%. That’s what I’m going to do when it’s time for me to start my family.”
Jajuan Harley signed with the IFL’s Iowa Barnstormers following his father’s death, where he met coach Dixie Wooten. When Wooten left Iowa and was named Tucson’s coach and general manager, Harley followed. He latched on with Tucson last year, before the season was shuttered for the pandemic, and then re-upped for 2021.
Jajuan Harley
“I don’t want to play for anybody but him,” the 30-year-old Harley said of Wooten. “It’s more than just a football player-coach relationship, it’s family. When I needed him, he was there — in the middle of the night or whenever. I wouldn’t want to be with any other coach than him.”
Wooten was always — and still is — one to promote family priorities over football. Two games in to the 2019 season, Jajuan Harley’s mother, Cynthia, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Harley, who had been named a team captain, left the team to be with his mom for treatment; Cynthia is now cancer-free.
“(Wooten) knew that it was bigger than football,” Harley said. “It was tough, because I was just overcoming my dad passing away like eight months prior. … I had a lot going on in that year-and-a-half.”
Harley starred at Rickards High School in Tallahassee, and was recruited by the who’s-who of college football: USC, Florida — and Florida State, his hometown team. Harley signed with the Seminoles, but soured when the Bobby Bowden era gave way to Jimbo Fisher. Harley’s doubts about the direction of the program, his placement on the depth chart and inability to receive a redshirt year led him to tranfer to Middle Tennessee State. In his final college season, 2012, Harley had 74 tackles and a forced fumble.
He landed a training camp spot with the Buffalo Bills and workouts with the Packers, Broncos and Seahawks, but didn’t stick.
Harley doesn’t complain: His parents taught him grit. Jack Harley, a former part-time bodybuilder, was always a “bare-footed guy,” Jajuan says, while Cynthia came from equally humble beginnings.
“I’ve learned to never give up on yourself and always be determined to succeed,” Harley said. “Words can’t explain what they’ve done for me. They molded me into who I’ve become to this day.”
As the Sugar Skulls look to snap a two-game losing streak on Saturday, Harley — and his coach — will focus on the ‘D.’ Not defense; Dad.
Wooten said he calls his dad “first thing” before games.
“He’ll make you laugh and make you forget about football for a little bit, because he’ll tell you every story that he probably told you nine million times,” Wooten said.
Harley still talks to his dad, too.
“That was my best friend. Still is,” said Harley. “I talk to him every day.”
And his memory will be close by, especially this weekend.
Extra points
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams plays for the Pirates. Massachusetts also signed former Pittsburgh Steeler Martavis Bryant, but he isn’t expected to travel with the team. Former New England Patriots fullback Patrick Pass is the Pirates’ coach.
Tucson Arena has lifted its mask mandate for vaccinated spectators for the remainder of the 2021 season. Non-vaccinated fans are encouraged to still wear masks.
Saturday’s Sugar Skulls-Pirates contest was flexed to the IFL Game of the Week. It’s the second primetime game of the season for Tucson, which will be broadcasted on Stadium’s digital platforms.
Tucson’s Ryan Balentine is 36 yards away from becoming the IFL’s all-time leading receiving leader.
