Nick Harper (American football)

Total tackles:	626
Forced fumbles:	2
Fumble recoveries:	5
Pass deflections:	90
Interceptions:	21
Defensive touchdowns:	1

Nick Harper
No. 25, 20
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	September 10, 1974 (age 50); Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:	Baldwin (GA)
College:	Fort Valley State
Undrafted:	2001
Career history
	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2000); Indianapolis Colts (2001–2006); Tennessee Titans (2007–2009);
Career highlights and awards
	Super Bowl champion (XLI); All-SIAC (1999);
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:
Total tackles:	626
Forced fumbles:	2
Fumble recoveries:	5
Pass deflections:	90
Interceptions:	21
Defensive touchdowns:	1
	Player stats at PFR

Nicholas Necosi Harper (born September 10, 1974) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a street free agent in 2000. He played college football at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia.

Harper played for the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. He earned a Super Bowl ring while with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears.

Early life

Harper attended Baldwin High School and was a letterman in football, wrestling, baseball, and track & field. In football, as a senior, he won first-team All-Conference honors and was named the team MVP.

College career

Harper played college football at Fort Valley State University.

Professional career

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

After being declared ineligible for his senior season at Fort Valley State in 2000, Harper signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and appeared in 18 games for the team.^[1]

Indianapolis Colts

Harper signed with the Indianapolis Colts on January 16, 2001.^[1]

In 2005, the Colts finished first in the AFC with a 14-2 record, the team faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the playoffs. With under two minutes remaining in the game and trailing 21-18, Harper picked up a Jerome Bettis fumble near the Indianapolis goal line and returned it to their 43 yard line before getting tackled by Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Colts' commentators, as well as teammates such as Gary Brackett, said had Harper returned the football along the sideline instead of in the middle of the field, or had his leg been 100% healthy, the Colts would have won the game. Indianapolis would end up missing the potential game-tying field goal, and Pittsburgh went on to win Super Bowl XL.^[2]

The following season the Colts won Super Bowl XLI, giving Harper his first Super Bowl ring.

Tennessee Titans

Before the 2007 season, Harper signed a 3-year deal with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent. Harper played in and started 14 games and registered 80 tackles, three interceptions, 14 passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his first season with the Titans.^[1]

In 2008, Harper finished second on the team with 17 passes defensed.^[1]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2001	IND	13	2	32	25	7	0.0	0	2	17	0	14	8	0	1	0	0
2002	IND	16	1	49	43	6	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0
2003	IND	16	13	97	83	14	0.0	7	4	121	1	75	14	0	0	0	0
2004	IND	14	14	77	58	19	0.0	1	3	12	0	12	8	0	1	15	0
2005	IND	15	15	66	60	6	0.0	2	3	41	0	21	15	0	1	7	0
2006	IND	15	15	75	58	17	0.0	2	3	18	0	19	9	0	0	0	0
2007	TEN	14	14	78	64	14	0.0	3	3	62	0	32	11	1	2	0	0
2008	TEN	13	13	71	68	3	0.0	1	2	11	0	11	14	1	0	0	0
2009	TEN	11	11	81	69	12	0.0	2	1	4	0	4	6	0	0	0	0
		127	98	626	528	98	0.0	18	21	286	1	75	90	2	5	22	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2002	IND	1	0	6	4	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2003	IND	3	0	11	9	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0
2004	IND	2	2	5	5	0	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2005	IND	1	1	9	9	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	35	0
2006	IND	4	4	14	13	1	0.0	0	1	9	0	9	2	1	0	0	0
2007	TEN	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2008	TEN	1	1	3	3	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
		13	9	48	43	5	0.0	1	1	9	0	9	7	2	1	35	0