Jack Harper (American football)
Encyclopedia
Jack Ridley Harper is former American college and professional football
player who was a running back in the American Football League
(AFL) and National Football League
(NFL) for two seasons in the 1960s. Harper played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins
of the AFL and NFL.
in 1944. He attended Lakeland High School
, and he played for the Lakeland Dreadnaughts high school football
team.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he plaed for coach Ray Graves
' Florida Gators football
team from 1963 to 1965. Memorably, he had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown versus the SMU Mustangs
in 1964, and had 111 receiving yards against the Florida State Seminoles
in 1965. Harper led the Gators in kick return yardage for three consecutive seasons, and as a senior halfback in 1965, he became one of quarterback Steve Spurrier
's favorite passing targets out of the backfield. He had 1,127 total yards gained in 1965, including 286 rushing, 403 receiving and 438 kick return yards.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a running back in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for two seasons in the 1960s. Harper played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the AFL and NFL.
Early years
Harper was born in Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
in 1944. He attended Lakeland High School
Lakeland High School (Lakeland, Florida)
Lakeland Senior High School is the oldest public high school in Lakeland, Florida, United States. Lakeland Senior High School belongs to the Polk County School Board and is a member of Polk District Schools. Lakeland High School was the original high school in the city. It also shares its campus...
, and he played for the Lakeland Dreadnaughts high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team.
College career
Harper accepted an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he plaed for coach Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
' Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1963 to 1965. Memorably, he had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown versus the SMU Mustangs
SMU Mustangs football
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
in 1964, and had 111 receiving yards against the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1965. Harper led the Gators in kick return yardage for three consecutive seasons, and as a senior halfback in 1965, he became one of quarterback Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
's favorite passing targets out of the backfield. He had 1,127 total yards gained in 1965, including 286 rushing, 403 receiving and 438 kick return yards.
Professional career
Harper signed with the AFL expansion franchise Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1967, and he played for the Dolphins in fourteen games from 1967 to . He compiled 197 rushing yards and a touchdown on forty-one caries, and 212 receiving yards and three touchdowns on eleven catches in his two AFL seasons.See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1960–1969
- History of the Miami DolphinsHistory of the Miami DolphinsThis article details the history of the Miami Dolphins American football club.-Origins:Miami joined the American Football League when an expansion team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas in 1965 for $7.5 million, although Thomas would eventually sell his stake in...
- List of American Football League players
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Miami Dolphins players