Dick Harris was one of those undrafted long shots who found a home when the AFL opened up new opportunities in 1960. Coming out of McNeese State, he made the inaugural Los Angeles Chargers roster and quickly became a cornerback starter for Sid Gillman. In that first season, he picked off five passes and earned First-Team All-AFL honors, then followed it up the next year with seven interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) and another First-Team selection. He was a ball-hawking corner who played tight man coverage, baited quarterbacks into throws, and then closed on the ball with enough speed and timing to create turnovers.

The production kept coming. He had five more interceptions in 1962 and then a career-high eight in 1963, the year the Chargers won the AFL championship. Across those first four seasons, he totaled 25 interceptions and earned Second-Team All-AFL recognition in 1963 and 1964. He was the kind of defender who could take away half the field and still jump routes when the quarterback tried to force something into his area, giving the early Chargers a reliable presence in the secondary during their most successful stretch. Injuries began to limit him after that. He appeared in only six games in 1964 and saw reduced action in 1965 before retiring following the season. 

Over his six years with the Chargers, he finished with 29 interceptions in 76 games, still ranking among the franchise’s all-time leaders in picks and among the better totals for a cornerback from the AFL era. He never earned a Chargers Hall of Fame induction, but the undrafted corner who arrived with the franchise’s first roster and helped it win its only championship remains one of the team's most productive defensive backs in its early years.