Devon Harris: From the Original Jamaican Bobsled Team to Disney's "Cool Runnings"

In The Front Row with Mike Vaccaro

Devon Harris: From the Original Jamaican Bobsled Team to Disney's "Cool Runnings" Devon Harris was born in the ghetto of Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica. He played soccer and ran track while dreaming of representing his country in the 1984 Olympics. When that didn't happen, Harris attended the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. While a member of the Jamaica Defense Force, a colonel convinced him to try out for the newly formed Jamaican bobsled team. Making the team in late 1987, he was a member of the four-man team in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. That story became the Disney movie "Cool Runnings" in 1993 starring John Candy. In this episode, Harris talks about the sport he became synonymous with and takes us inside the training for their debut run in Calgary. He also shares how "Cool Runnings" differs from real life and how he's received when he returns to his native country. Harris also tells us about his motivational speaking career, the foundation he started and whether or not he spent time in a freezer to prepare for the Winter Olympics as depicted in "Cool Runnings".