Roman Harper

Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is a former American football safety. 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 (first team) and helped lead the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV. The following year, 2010, he was again selected as a first team All-Pro. In 2015, he helped lead the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

Roman Harper
Harper with the New Orleans Saints in 2012
No. 41
Position:Strong safety
Personal information
Born: (1982-12-11) December 11, 1982
Prattville, Alabama
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Prattville (Prattville, Alabama)
College:Alabama
NFL Draft:2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 43
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:819
Sacks:18.0
Forced fumbles:16
Fumble recoveries:5
Interceptions:11
Defensive touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Harper went to high school in Prattville, Alabama, where he was an outstanding safety and returner for Prattville High School. He played Quarterback his senior season and led the Lions to a 9-1 regular season finish. Harper was a first Team All State performer and was also selected to the Alabama-Mississippi.

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
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jump
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)		 198 lb
(90 kg)		 4.50 s4.34 s7.02 s34 in
(0.86 m)		9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)
All values from Alabama's Pro Day[2]

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints selected Harper in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. Harper was the sixth safety drafted in 2006.[3]

On July 27, 2006, the New Orleans Saints signed Harper to a four-year, $3.55 million contract that included a signing bonus of $880,000.[4] Throughout training camp, Harper competed to be the starting strong safety against veteran Omar Stoutmire. Head coach Sean Payton named Harper and Josh Bullocks the starting safety duo to begin the regular season.

Harper celebrating the Saints' win of Super Bowl XLIV.

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 eight years with the team.[5]

Carolina Panthers

On March 15, 2014, Harper was signed by the Carolina Panthers.[6] During his debut performance for the Panthers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Harper recorded 2 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 interception.[7] During the Panthers week 5 win over the Chicago Bears, Harper recorded his second interception of the season against Jay Cutler.[8] 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 defeat the Seahawks and Cardinals in their first two playoff games. On February 7, 2016, Harper was part of the Panthers team that played in Super Bowl 50. In the game, he had two tackles, but the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[9][10]

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On June 7, 2016, Harper agreed to return to the Saints, where he was 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.[11]

Awards and championships
  • 2009 - Super Bowl XLIV Champion
  • 2009 - Named to first NFL Pro Bowl
  • 2007 - Ed Block Courage Award

NFL statistics
YearTeamGPCOMBTOTALASTSACKFFFRFR YDSINTIR YDSAVG IRLNGTDPD
2006NO5272521.0100000003
2007NO169075154.0200358193118
2008NO15898270.0100000009
2009NO1610284181.5200000005
2010NO159876223.0610166608
2011NO169573227.5210000007
2012NO1611588270.00002412141011
2013NO93927120.00119100001
2014CAR166239231.01004431131110
2015CAR167346270.0021000005
2016NO16292540.0000000000
Career15681863917918.01550111481341267

[12]

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.

Harper became a member of School of the Legends (SOTL) in 2010.[13]

References
  1. New Orleans Saints bio for Roman Harper (accessed December 27, 2010).
  2. "Roman Harper, DS #5 FS, Alabama". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  3. "NFL training camps opening without Roman Harper". al.com. July 25, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  4. "Spotrac.com: Roman Harper contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  5. Patra, Kevin (February 12, 2014). "Saints release Jabari Greer, Roman Harper, Will Smith". NFL.com. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. "Panthers sign safety Harper". www.panthers.com. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  7. "Carolina at Tampa Bay | September 7, 2014 | National Football League | Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  8. "Roman Harper | Carolina Panthers | National Football League | Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  9. "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  10. "Super Bowl 50 - National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). NFL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  11. Nick Underhill, "Veteran safety Roman Harper to return to New Orleans Saints, agency says", The New Orleans Advocate, June 7, 2016.
  12. "Roman Harper Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  13. "Veteran Running Backs Offer Rookies Advice in Exclusive School of the Legends Interview". Business Wire. June 3, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
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