| No. 80, 82, 1 | |||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1967-07-06)July 6, 1967 (age 58) Lake Wales, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Frostproof (Frostproof, Florida) | ||||||||
| College | Tennessee | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1991: 1st round, 12th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Alvin Craig Harper (born July 6, 1967) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys,Tampa Bay Buccaneers,Washington Redskins andNew Orleans Saints. He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers. Harper was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the first round of the1991 NFL draft. He played in Dallas for four years as the Cowboys wonSuper Bowl XXVII andSuper Bowl XXVIII, both against theBuffalo Bills.
Harper attendedFrostproof High School, where he was an outstandingfootball player, earningUSA Today high schoolAll-American honors as a senior in 1986.
He also excelled intrack and field; at one time he held the Florida High Schoolhigh jump record, and also won two state Class Ahigh jumping titles. As abasketball player he averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Harper accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Tennessee. As a freshman, he appeared in 12 games as a backupwide receiver, making 15 receptions for 247 yards and one touchdown. He had a 45-yard touchdown reception in the second game againstColorado State University.
As a sophomore, he was named a starter atwide receiver. He appeared in 11 games, posting 37 receptions for 487 yards and 5 touchdowns. In his first start in the fifth game againstWashington State University, he set a school single-game record with 12 receptions.
As a junior, he appeared in 11 games, tallying 13 receptions for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns.
As a senior, he earned All-Southeastern Conference Freshman First-team honors in 1987, and All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors in 1990. He was also the MVP of the 1991Hula Bowl, and finished hisNCAA football career with 103 receptions for 1,547 yards and 16touchdowns.
He continued to excel in track and field, capturing the 1989 Southeastern Conference indoor high jump championship with a jump of 7 ft 2½in. He also anchored the University of Tennessee4x100 and4x400 meter relays.
In the1991 NFL draft, theDallas Cowboys sought a receiving partner for starterMichael Irvin and selected Harper in the first round (12th overall).[1][2] As a rookie, he caught 20 passes for 326 yards and onetouchdown, helping Dallas finish 11–5, its first winning season since1985. He missed the seventh game against theCincinnati Bengals with a neck injury.
In1992, he rushed once for 15 yards and caught 35 passes for 562 yards and fourtouchdowns. He also recorded an interception atDenver Broncos when he, as an extra defender, picked off a Hail Mary byTommy Maddox at the end of the first half. He probably had the signature play of his career during theNFC Championship against theSan Francisco 49ers, catching aslant route for 70 yards, setting up the Cowboys on the 10-yard line and sealing the win. He also caught a 45-yardtouchdown fromquarterbackTroy Aikman during the 52–17 victory over theBuffalo Bills inSuper Bowl XXVII, after which he dunked the ball over the goal post crossbar.
On March 8,1995, Harper signed a lucrativefree agent contract with theTampa Bay Buccaneers based on his big play ability and championship experience.[3] Though he had a career-high 46 receptions for 633 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first season in Tampa, he was not able to live up to his free agent billing. He missed the first 3 games of the season because of a left sprained medial collateral ligament and a sprained left ankle he suffered in the first preseason game against theNew York Jets.[4] He clinched a 14–6 win in the fourth game against theWashington Redskins with a touchdown reception in the final 6 minutes. His best game came against theCincinnati Bengals with 6 receptions for 117 yards and no touchdowns.
In1996, he appeared in 12 games with 7 starts, registering 19 receptions for 289 yards and one touchdown. His top receiving game came in the third game against theDenver Broncos, making 2 receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown. He had 4 receptions for 41 yards and no touchdowns in the fifth game against theDetroit Lions. Harper was replaced withRobb Thomas in the second half of the sixth game against theMinnesota Vikings and would lose his job as the starter atwide receiver.[5] He would start once more in the season finale against theChicago Bears, in place of an injured Thomas.[6]
On June 10,1997, he was released before the start of the season.[7] During his two years in Tampa he was slowed by injuries and played in only 25 games, where he caught 65 passes for 922 yards and three touchdowns.
On June 11,1997, theWashington Redskins signed him, gambling that he could flourish again after being reunited with head coachNorv Turner, who had been his offensive coordinator in Dallas.[8] Harper was a reserve player in 12 games, in which he caught only 2 receptions for 65 yards in the fourth game against theJacksonville Jaguars. On December 1, he was released after he complained about his playing time, following the Redskins 23–20 loss to theSt. Louis Rams.[9]
On December 2,1997, he was claimed off waiver by theNew Orleans Saints.[10] He was declared inactive in the last 3 games of the season. He was released on July 24,1998.[11]
On October 14,1999, he was signed by theDallas Cowboys, to provide depth afterMichael Irvin suffered a career-ending neck injury in the fourth game against thePhiladelphia Eagles.[12] His jersey number 80 was used byErnie Mills, so he chose to wear number 82. He appeared in 2 games as a reserve player and did not register any statistics. He was released on December 7.[13]
Harper finished his eight NFL seasons with 191 receptions for 3,473 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also rushed once for 15 yards, completed a pass for 46 yards, and recorded oneinterception on defense.
In2001, he was signed by theMemphis Maniax of theXFL, reuniting with head coachKippy Brown, who was his wide receivers coach with theUniversity of Tennessee. Harper was a backup wide receiver and only posted one reception for 8 yards.[14]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1991 | DAL | 15 | 5 | 20 | 326 | 16.3 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | DAL | 16 | 13 | 35 | 562 | 16.1 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | DAL | 16 | 15 | 36 | 777 | 21.6 | 80 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994 | DAL | 16 | 14 | 33 | 821 | 24.9 | 90 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
| 1995 | TB | 13 | 12 | 46 | 633 | 13.8 | 49 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | TB | 12 | 7 | 19 | 289 | 15.2 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1997 | WSH | 12 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 32.5 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | DAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 100 | 66 | 191 | 3,473 | 18.2 | 90 | 21 | 5 | 5 | |
In 2004, he was a volunteer wide receivers coach atHoward University. In 2005, he served anNFL coaching internship as theRhein Fire wide receivers assistant coach inNFL Europe.
Harper now resides inWinter Haven, Florida.[15]