Tuff Harris, a member of the Crow Tribe of Montana who plays for the Tennessee Titans, hopes to be a positive role model for Indian youth.

Harris, who was raised on the reservation, urges tribal youth to follow their dreams. "If you don't ever try, you're not going to be anything," he tells The Tennessean.

The effort appears to be working. Students on the reservation look up to Harris, who was honored by his tribe last year after he joined the NFL.

"The students here will go up and down the hallways after the (Titans' games), saying, 'Did you see Tuff? He made the tackle, he did this, he did that,'" John Small, principal of Lodge Grass High School, where Tuff attended, tells the paper.

Harris played six games and made three tackles for the Titans last season.

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Titans safety honors Native American heritage (The Tennessean 9/2)