Roman Harper - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Roman Harper is an American football

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...

safety with the New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

of the NFL

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...

. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft

2006 NFL Draft

The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...

. He 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...

at the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

. After he was drafted, Harper earned the starting strong safety job and held it until week 5 of his rookie season when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Harper was able to come back strong after his injury-riddled rookie season and has not missed a game since. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl berth and helped lead the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl XLIV

Super Bowl XLIV

Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...

in Miami, FL.

High school

Harper went to high school in Prattville, Alabama

Prattville, Alabama

Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 33,960. Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area, Prattville is part of the Montgomery metropolitan statistical area and serves as...

where he was a standout Quarterback, Safety, & Returner for Prattville High School

Prattville High School

Prattville High School, formerly Autauga County High School, is a high school in Prattville, Alabama and forms part of the Autauga County School System...

. He led the Lions to a 9-2 record his Senior season. One of those losses came from rival Sidney Lanier High School in the Region Championship game. Sidney Lanier's Quarterback that season was Seattle Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris DeAndre Jackson is an American football quarterback who is currently a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

. Harper was a 1st Team All State performer & was also selected to the Alabama-Mississippi All Star Game.

College career

Harper attended The University of Alabama. He was a four-year letterman and a three-year starter and finished his college football career with 302 tackles, five interceptions, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and 3.5 sacks. As a senior, he was a first team All-Southeastern Conference cat. As a junior, he was a second team All-Southeastern Conference selection. As a sophomore, he led the team with 114 tackles and also had an interception and a fumble recovery.

Professional career

Drafted in the second round by the Saints, Harper started five games in 2006 but was put on injured reserve

Injured reserve

The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...

on October 10. Harper started 16 games in 2007 and 15 games in 2008. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl berth and helped lead the New Orleans Saints to the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami, FL.

Awards and Championships

2010 - Super Bowl Champion.
2009 - Named to first NFL Pro Bowl.
2007 - Ed Block Courage Award.

Harper's Hope 4*1 Foundation

Harper is the CEO of the Harpers Hope 4*1 Foundation. The Harper's Hope 4*1 Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes, more specifically to enhance the quality of life for families, build strong communities and combat community deterioration by providing programs and activities that focus on education, health, social and cultural enrichment. In July 2010, the Harper's Hope 4*1 Foundation hosted its 1st Charity Sports Celebrity Golf and Auction, "A Sainted Weekend." The weekend consisted of a Celebrity Golf Tournament and Auction Fund drive with the proceeds benefiting the non-profit Harper’s Hope 4*1 Foundation. Under the theme, “Mentoring youth to strengthen families” fellow NFL Players Darren Sharper, Usama Young, Jahri Evans, Chase Daniel, Tyler Lorenzen, and Carl Nicks all participated in the Tournament and supported the Auction.

In The Community

On February 17, 2010, the City of Prattville declared February 27, 2010 "Roman Harper Day". Harper co-hosted the 2010 Sharper and Harper Football Camp at Rummel High School in New Orleans with safety Darren Sharper. Harper has also been an avid volunteer and donor to the fund raising efforts of programs such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, YMCAs, local schools in Prattville and New Orleans, as well as special needs and mental health programs. Roman Harper is committed to helping those across the Gulf Coast affected by the oil spill. On Friday, August 27, Harper and fellow Saints Safety Darren Sharper hosted a special Game Night After Party at Whiskey Blue to raise money and awareness for United Way. They also filmed a PSA encouraging people to “Be a Saint” and give to United Way’s Gulf Coast Recovery Fund. In October, the Harper / Sharper team hosted a private dinner for their teammates and coaches at Eiffel Society to announce how they are giving back this upcoming holiday season. The defensive duo teamed up with United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area and Phoenix of New Orleans (PNOLA) to surprise two families whose homes were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Sharper and Harper announced that they would be paying to rebuild the families’ homes for the holiday. The two also encouraged their teammates to get involved with United Way and join them in pushing the mission of “Hope for the Holidays.”

Videos

Harper Says Saints Need to Play Big

External links

Photos

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/12/24/PH2009122402050.jpg

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