Jerry "Moose" Harper (August 4, 1934 – September 16, 2001)[1] was an American basketball player best known for his collegiate career at the University of Alabama between 1952 and 1956. Harper, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, was 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and played the center and forward positions.[2]
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 4, 1934 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2001 (aged 67) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Flaget (Louisville, Kentucky) |
| College | Alabama (1952–1956) |
| NBA draft | 1956: 3rd round, 20th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Position | Center / power forward |
| Number | 8, 88 |
| Career history | |
| 1956–1957 | Houston Ada Oilers |
| 1957–1958 | Phillips 66ers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Decades later, Harper's 1,688 career rebounds still stands as the SEC all-time record and 8th overall in NCAA history.[3]
Harper was the #20 (3rd round) overall pick of the New York Knicks in the 1956 NBA Draft.
Playing career
In 1952–53, his freshman season, he was voted a second team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) by the Associated Press (AP).[4] He averaged 17.8 points and 17.0 rebounds per game in 21 games played.[4] His sophomore year, Harper once again averaged 17.8 points per game, although his rebounds dipped to 14.9 per game in 24 games played.[4] The AP selected him to their All-SEC third team.[4] In Harper's final two seasons, he averaged 21.0 points and 19.0 rebounds for his junior year, and 22.3 points and 21.5 rebounds as a senior.[4] This rebounding mark still stands as the best in the history of the Southeastern Conference.[5]
Harper became the first Crimson Tide player to lead his team in scoring all four years en route to finishing with 1,861 for his career,[1] while his 1,688 career rebounds place him eighth all-time in the history of NCAA Division I men's basketball.[6] Harper was the first player in school history to average 20 or more points per game for a career, and in one game against Kentucky during his senior season, he scored 38 points and grabbed 26 rebounds.[5] That game, which the Crimson Tide won 101–77, was the first time Kentucky had ever allowed 100 or more points.[5]
In 1954–55 and 1955–56, Harper was selected as a first team All-American.[2] These squads became known as the famed "Rocket 8" teams, with Harper guiding the latter to the 1956 Southeastern Conference championship.[5] His 517 rebounds that year are a still-standing Alabama record.[7]
After college, Harper was selected in the 1956 NBA draft by the New York Knickerbockers with the #20 overall pick (3rd round).[8] But he never ended up playing in the league.[9] Instead, he played for the Houston Ada Oilers and the Phillips 66ers of the AAU National Industrial Basketball League (AAU), which was still a semi-professional league at the time.[5] An injury prematurely ended his career.[5]
Honors
Harper was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.[10]
Personal
Harper worked for Phillips Petroleum until he relocated to Montgomery, Alabama, where he went into business for the remainder of his career.[11] He died of a longstanding illness on September 16, 2001, at age 67.[7]