Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is a former
American football safety. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Alabama, and was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. 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.
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.
[New Orleans Saints bio](_blank)
for Roman Harper (accessed December 27, 2010).
Professional career
New Orleans Saints
The
New Orleans Saints selected Harper in the second round (43rd overall) of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. Harper was the sixth safety drafted in 2006.
On July 27, 2006, the New Orleans Saints signed Harper to a four-year,
$3.55 million contract that included a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $880,000.
Throughout training camp, Harper competed to be the starting strong safety against veteran
Omar Stoutmire
Omar Array Stoutmire (born July 9, 1974) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, New York Giants and Washington Redskins. He played college football at Fresno St ...
. Head coach
Sean Payton
Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...
named Harper and
Josh Bullocks
Josh Bullocks (born February 28, 1983) is an American football safety. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He is the identical twin of fellow NFL safety Daniel Bullocks.
He played college football ...
the starting safety duo to begin the regular season.

Harper started five games in 2006 but was put on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
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
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
31-17.
Harper was released by the Saints on February 12, 2014 after eight years with the team.
Carolina Panthers
On March 15, 2014, Harper was signed by the
Carolina Panthers. During his debut performance for the Panthers against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Harper recorded 2 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 interception. During the Panthers week 5 win over the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, Harper recorded his second interception of the season against
Jay Cutler. Harper won NFC defensive player of the week for his performance in week 17 against division rival
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. 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.
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.
Awards and championships
*2009 - Super Bowl XLIV Champion
*2009 - Named to first NFL Pro Bowl
*2007 - Ed Block Courage Award
NFL statistics
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
School of the Legends, LLC (School of the Legends, SOTL or SOTLNFL) was founded in August 2009 as a private online community for current and former NFL athletes. The company is based in Nashville, Tennessee. SOTL is the Official Social Network and ...
(SOTL) in 2010.
References
External links
Carolina Panthers bioNew Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Roman
1982 births
Living people
People from Prattville, Alabama
Players of American football from Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football players
American football safeties
National Conference Pro Bowl players
New Orleans Saints players
Carolina Panthers players
Ed Block Courage Award recipients