Marlin Martin “Pat” Harder (May 6, 1922 – September 6, 1992) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
player, playing
fullback and
kicker
Kicker or The Kicker may refer to:
Sports
* Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football
* ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany
* Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player
* Kicker, the word used i ...
. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
University of Wisconsin
After graduating from
Washington High School, in Milwaukee, he enrolled in the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
. Playing fullback for the
Badgers
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...
, Harder led the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in rushing and scoring in 1941. In 1942, Harder was part of a team that went 8–1–1, including a 17–7 victory over the reigning national champion
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tre ...
, in which Harder scored 11 of the 17 points. Harder left Wisconsin to join the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
in 1943 to fight in World War II. Despite having a year of eligibility left when he left the Marines, Harder turned pro in 1946.
Professional career
Chicago Cardinals
Harder was drafted 2nd overall in the
1944 NFL Draft
The 1944 National Football League Draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Angelo Bertelli.
Player selections
Round ...
by the
Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals. Harder was part of the Cardinals' "
Million Dollar Backfield" which also included
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Paul Christman
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
and
halfbacks Marshall Goldberg and
Charley Trippi
Charles Louis Trippi (December 14, 1921 – October 19, 2022) was an American professional football player for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1955. Although primarily a running back, his versatility al ...
. He was the first player in league history to score over 100 points in three consecutive years, which he did from 1947 to 1949, leading the league all three years. In 1947, the Cardinals won the NFL Championship (the Cardinals' last as of 2021). In the championship game, Harder kicked four extra points to help defeat the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, 28–21.
Detroit Lions
Harder was traded to the
Detroit Lions in 1951. He helped the Lions win back-to-back NFL Championships in 1952 and 1953. Harder retired from professional football in 1953.
After retirement
Harder served as an NFL official from 1966 to 1982, working as the umpire on the crew of legendary referee
Jim Tunney wearing uniform number 36 from 1966 through 1969, then number 88 from 1970 through 1978, and again in 1982. From 1979-81, Harder wore uniform number 8, as officials during those seasons were numbered by position, rather than as an entire group.
The most famous game he worked came on December 23, 1972, when the
Pittsburgh Steelers won their first-ever playoff game on
Franco Harris
Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection ...
'
Immaculate Reception
The Immaculate Reception is one of the most famous plays in the history of American football. It occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game of the National Football League (NFL), between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders (now La ...
against the
Oakland Raiders. Harder was also an alternate, as was Tunney, for the 1967 NFL Championship game, famously known as the "Ice Bowl", when the
Green Bay Packers defeated the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
21-17.
He also served as vice-president of a car leasing company in Milwaukee. He died in
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha.
History
The area tha ...
on September 6, 1992.
Harder was posthumously inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2005, he was named to the
Professional Football Researchers Association
The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional American football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by wri ...
Hall of Very Good in the association's third HOVG class.
The popular chant "Hit 'em again harder, harder, harder" was a University of Wisconsin cheer aimed at Pat Harder and can still be heard at high school and college games today.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harder, Pat
1922 births
1992 deaths
American football fullbacks
American football placekickers
Chicago Cardinals players
Detroit Lions players
Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers football players
National Football League officials
Wisconsin Badgers football players
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players
Western Conference Pro Bowl players
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
Players of American football from Milwaukee
National Football League Most Valuable Player Award winners