Roman Harper
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| No. 41 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||
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| Position: | Strong safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 11, 1982 Prattville, Alabama | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Prattville (AL) | ||||||||
| College: | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 43 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com | |||||||||
Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is an American football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl invitation and helped lead the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV, and again in 2016 with the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Early years
Harper was born and went to high school in Prattville, Alabama, where he was a quarterback, safety, and returner for Prattville High School. 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 regional championship game. Harper was a first Team All State performer and was also selected to the Alabama-Mississippi All Star Game.
College career
Harper attended the University of Alabama, and played for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. He was a four-year letterman and a three-year starter and finished his college football career with 302 tackles, 5 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 3.5 sacks. As a sophomore, he totaled 114 tackles (second most on the team) and also had an interception and a fumble recovery. As a junior, he was a second team All-Southeastern Conference selection. As a senior, he was a first team All-Southeastern Conference selection.[1]
Professional career
New Orleans Saints
Drafted in the second round by the Saints, Harper started five games in 2006 but was put on injured reserve on October 10. He started 16 games in 2007 and 15 games in 2008. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl berth and helped lead the Saints to their first Super Bowl win in franchise history. In Super Bowl XLIV, he led the Saints with 8 tackles and defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.
Harper was released by the Saints on February 12, 2014 after 8 years with the team.[2]
Carolina Panthers
On March 15, 2014, Harper was signed by the Carolina Panthers.[3] During his debut performance for the Panthers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Harper recorded 2 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 interception.[4] During the Panthers week 5 win over the Chicago Bears, Harper recorded his second interception of the season against Jay Cutler.[5] Harper won NFC defensive player of the week for his performance in week 17 against division rival Atlanta Falcons. Harper recorded 6 tackles, 1 pass defended, and a 31-yard pick six. In Harper's second season with the team, The Panthers finished the season with a team record 15 wins. They went on to beat the Seahawks and Cardinals to reach Super Bowl 50. In the Super Bowl, Harper had 2 tackles, but the Panthers lost 24-10 to the Denver Broncos.
New Orleans Saints (second stint)
On June 7, 2016, Harper agreed to return to the Saints, where he is expected to play a role in the leadership of the defense while serving as a backup to the Saints' younger safeties. He signed a one-year, $1.065 million contract with the Saints. [6]
Awards and championships
- 2009 - Super Bowl Champion
- 2009 - Named to first NFL Pro Bowl
- 2007 - Ed Block Courage Award
NFL stats
| Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | NO | 5 | 27 | 25 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2007 | NO | 16 | 90 | 75 | 15 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 19 | 31 | 1 | 8 |
| 2008 | NO | 15 | 89 | 82 | 7 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2009 | NO | 16 | 102 | 84 | 18 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2010 | NO | 15 | 98 | 76 | 22 | 3.0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 2011 | NO | 16 | 95 | 73 | 22 | 7.5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2012 | NO | 16 | 115 | 88 | 27 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 21 | 41 | 0 | 11 |
| 2013 | NO | 9 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | CAR | 16 | 62 | 39 | 23 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 43 | 11 | 31 | 1 | 10 |
| 2015 | CAR | 16 | 73 | 46 | 27 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Career | 140 | 790 | 615 | 175 | 18.0 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 148 | 13 | 41 | 2 | 67 |
Key
- GP: games played
- COMB: combined tackles
- TOTAL: total tackles
- AST: assisted tackles
- SACK: sacks
- FF: forced fumbles
- FR: fumble recoveries
- FR YDS: fumble return yards
- INT: interceptions
- IR YDS: interception return yards
- AVG IR: average interception return
- LNG: longest interception return
- TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
- PD: passes defensed
Community work
Harper and his mother, Princess Harper, founded the Harper's Hope Foundation in 2009. The primary goal of the foundation has been, “to strengthen families and enhance their emotional, social, and spiritual health through educational programs, enrichment activities, and economic development.”
In July 2010 the foundation hosted its first annual "A Sainted Weekend" Celebrity Golf Tournament and Silent Auction. He also trains and teaches his cousin Jordan Harper (a young up and coming high school football player) during the summer. He currently attends Alief Elsik High School.
Harper became a member of School of the Legends (SOTL) in 2010.[8]
References
- ^ New Orleans Saints bio for Roman Harper (accessed December 27, 2010).
- ^ Patra, Kevin (February 12, 2014). "Saints release Jabari Greer, Roman Harper, Will Smith". NFL.com.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Panthers sign safety Harper". www.panthers.com. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- ^ "Carolina at Tampa Bay | 2014-09-07 | National Football League | Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- ^ "Roman Harper | Carolina Panthers | National Football League | Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- ^ Nick Underhill, "Veteran safety Roman Harper to return to New Orleans Saints, agency says", The New Orleans Advocate, June 7, 2016.
- ^ "Roman Harper Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ "Veteran Running Backs Offer Rookies Advice in Exclusive School of the Legends Interview". Business Wire. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
External links
- Career statistics and player information from ESPN · Yahoo! Sports · Fox Sports
- Carolina Panthers bio
- New Orleans Saints bio