Jack Ridley Harper (born October 8, 1944) is an American former college and professional football player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in the American Football League (AFL) and

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for two seasons during the 1960s. Harper played college football for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and thereafter, he played professionally for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

of the AFL and NFL.

Early years

Harper was born in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal ci ...

in 1944.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Jack Harper
Retrieved April 19, 2011. He attended Lakeland High School,databaseFootball.com, Players
Jack Harper
. Retrieved April 19, 2011. and he played for the Lakeland Dreadnaughts high school football team.

College career

Harper accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach

Ray Graves Samuel Ray Graves (December 31, 1918 – April 10, 2015) was an American college and professional football player and college football coach. He was a native of Tennessee and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he was the starting ...

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...

team from

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

to 1965.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 144–145, 147, 149–150, 182 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011. Memorably, he had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown versus the

SMU Mustangs The SMU Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. The Mustangs were founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texa ...

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.

Professional career

In July 1966, Harper was one of 83 rookies to show up at the original Miami Dolphins training camp held on St. Petersburg Beach. Harper suffered a slight back injury on the second day of practice, and he was cut on July 9, 1966, before the free agent veterans showed up, as the original group of 83 rookies had to be cut to 49 that day to make room for the incoming veterans. The next year, Harper signed with the AFL expansion franchise Miami Dolphins as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 1967, and he played for the Dolphins in fourteen games from

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

to .National Football League, Historical Players
Jack Harper
Retrieved April 19, 2011. He compiled 197 rushing yards and a touchdown on forty-one carries, and 212 receiving yards and three touchdowns on eleven catches in his two AFL seasons.

References

Bibliography

* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . * Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . * Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . * McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football
', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . * McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). . * Nash, Noel, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Jack 1944 births Living people American football running backs Florida Gators football players Miami Dolphins players Players of American football from Lakeland, Florida American Football League players

Early years

College career

Professional career

See also

References

Bibliography