Michael Harden (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Michigan Wolverines from 1977 to 1979. He then played in the NFL for 11 years for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

from 1980 to 1988 and for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1989 to 1990.

Early life

Harden was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, in 1959. He attended Central High School in Detroit.

University of Michigan

Harden enrolled at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1976 and played

as a

for Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1976 to 1979. In September 1978, Harden and Jerry Meter both intercepted passes thrown by Joe Montana to help secure a 28–14 victory over Notre Dame. He was selected as a first-team defensive back on the 1978 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Over the course of his collegiate career, Harden had 89 tackles, 42 assists, 6 interceptions and 95 return yards, 16 pass breakups, and 3 fumble recoveries. Harden also returned 24 punts for 156 yards.

Professional football

Harden was selected by the

in the fifth round (131st overall pick) of the 1980 NFL draft. He appeared in 128 games, 98 as a starter, at the

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

and

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

positions for the Broncos from 1980 to 1988. He intercepted 33 passes in his nine years with the Broncos. Harden was fined $5,000 ($12,920 in 2023) for a hit in the opening game of the 1988 season against division rival Seattle Seahawks that knocked out Steve Largent and resulted in a concussion and the loss of two teeth. Fourteen weeks later, in Seattle, Harden intercepted a Dave Krieg pass in the end zone and returned it twenty-five yards before being knocked off his feet by Largent and fumbling the football, which Largent also pounced on, giving the Seahawks possession again. Largent later said in an interview that the hit was retaliation in part for the hit that Harden gave Largent earlier in the season. Harden concluded his career with the Los Angeles Raiders during the 1989 and 1990 seasons. During his 11-year NFL career, he intercepted 38 passes for 663 yards and 4 touchdowns, and recovered 14 fumbles. , his 179 interception return yards in 1986 is a Broncos record. On special teams, Harden returned 8 punts for 113 yards and a touchdown and returned 26 kickoffs for 414 yards.

Personal life

He was married to Magaly Fernandez Harden and they had one child. He has a total of 3 children, Taler (May 1985), Chanel (May 1995), and Alexander (January 1997). Harden is also the grandfather of four. In 2003, he was sentenced to six years in prison for stealing from several women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harden, Mike 1959 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Denver Broncos players Michigan Wolverines football players Oakland Raiders players Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen