Bruce Harper facts for kids
| No. 42 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back Return specialist |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | June 20, 1955 Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 174 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Dwight Morrow (Englewood, New Jersey) |
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| College: | Kutztown | ||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1977 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Bruce S. Harper is a former American football player. He was born on June 20, 1955. Bruce played as a running back and a return specialist for the New York Jets. The Jets are a team in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kutztown Golden Bears. The Jets signed him in 1977 after the 1977 NFL draft.
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Early Life and High School Football
Bruce Harper grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. He played high school football at Dwight Morrow High School.
College Football Career
Bruce went to Kutztown State College. This school is now called Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. While playing there, he made history. He became the first player from his school to run for over 1,000 yards in a single season.
Playing for the New York Jets
Bruce Harper played for the New York Jets from 1977 to 1984. He was a very important player for their special teams. He holds the record for the most kickoff return yards in Jets history. He gained 5,407 yards from kickoff returns.
He also returned punts for the Jets from 1977 to 1982. During this time, he gained 1,784 punt return yards. He even scored one touchdown from a punt return.
Bruce was a versatile player. He ran with the ball for 1,829 yards. He also caught passes for 2,409 yards. When you add up all his yards from rushing, receiving, punt returns, and kickoff returns, he gained a total of 11,429 yards!
His jersey number was 42. This number became famous among Jets fans. A very well-known Jets fan, Fireman Ed, often wears a jersey with Harper's number 42.
Life After Football
Bruce Harper used to live in Norwood, New Jersey. He now lives in Closter, New Jersey.
In 1998, Bruce started a non-profit group called Heroes & Cool Kids. He is the founder and director of this organization. The program works in schools across New Jersey. It helps elementary and middle school kids. High school athletes and students from the same area mentor these younger kids.
Former professional athletes help train the high school students. Some of these athletes include former NFL player Keith Elias. Also, former Los Angeles Lakers player John Celestand and former New Jersey Nets player Tim Bassett have helped. The program teaches important life skills through sports.
