 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1883-12-10)December 10, 1883 Paw Paw, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 31, 1961(1961-07-31) (aged 77) Sitka, Kansas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1905 | Chicago |
| Baseball | |
| 1903–1906 | Chicago |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1906–1907 | Alma |
| 1909–1912 | Wabash |
| 1913–1917 | Notre Dame |
| Basketball | |
| 1910–1913 | Wabash |
| 1913–1918 | Notre Dame |
| Baseball | |
| 1910–1913 | Wabash |
| 1914–1918 | Notre Dame |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1913–1917 | Notre Dame |
| 1931–1933 | Notre Dame |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 57–17–7 (football) 67–29 (basketball) 88–53–1 (baseball) |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1971 (profile) | |
Jesse Clair Harper (December 10, 1883 – July 31, 1961) was anAmerican football andbaseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach atAlma College (1906–1907),Wabash College (1909–1912), and theUniversity of Notre Dame (1913–1917), compiling a careercollege football record of 57–17–7. Harper was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1971.
Harper was the head football coach atAlma College inAlma, Michigan. He held that position for the 1906 and 1907 seasons. His coaching record at Alma was 8–3–4.[1]
Harper was the 18th head football coach atWabash College inCrawfordsville, Indiana, and he held that position for four seasons, from 1909 until 1912. His coaching record at Wabash was 15–9–2.[2]
Harper is most known for his coaching at theUniversity of Notre Dame.[3] His1913 football squad posted a 35–13 win overArmy, one that is regarded by most football historians as the game that put Notre Dame on the football map.
Harper stepped down as head football coach after the 1917 season and returned to ranching in his home state ofKansas. His ranch was not far from whereKnute Rockne was killed in a 1931 plane crash.[4] Harper accompanied Rockne's body on the train from Kansas back to South Bend, Indiana, for the funeral and burial. The University of Notre Dame immediately hired Harper to fill Rockne's role as athletic director,[5] a position in which he remained until 1934, whenElmer Layden became head football coach and athletic director.
Harper was married and had two sons and one daughter.
In 1963, he was inducted into theHall of Great Westerners of theNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for his contributions to the cattle industry.[6]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma Maroon and Cream(Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association)(1906–1907) | |||||||||
| 1906 | Alma | 3–2–3 | |||||||
| 1907 | Alma | 5–1–1 | |||||||
| Alma: | 8–3–4 | ||||||||
| Wabash Little Giants(Independent)(1909–1912) | |||||||||
| 1909 | Wabash | 3–4–1 | |||||||
| 1910 | Wabash | 4–0 | |||||||
| 1911 | Wabash | 3–3–1 | |||||||
| 1912 | Wabash | 5–2 | |||||||
| Wabash: | 15–9–2 | ||||||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish(Independent)(1913–1917) | |||||||||
| 1913 | Notre Dame | 7–0 | |||||||
| 1914 | Notre Dame | 6–2 | |||||||
| 1915 | Notre Dame | 7–1 | |||||||
| 1916 | Notre Dame | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1917 | Notre Dame | 6–1–1 | |||||||
| Notre Dame: | 34–5–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 57–17–7 | ||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
