Darrell Harper
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U.S.
Commerce Township, Michigan, U.S.
 Harper in 1959 | |||||||||||
| No. 41 | |||||||||||
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| Positions | Halfback, placekicker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | June 18, 1938 U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died | January 19, 2008 (aged 69) Commerce Township, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Royal Oak (Royal Oak, Michigan) | ||||||||||
| College | Michigan | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1960: 15th round, 171st overall pick | ||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1960 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Darrell L. Harper (June 18, 1938 – January 19, 2008) was an American football player. He played at the halfback position for the University of Michigan from 1957 to 1959 and for the Buffalo Bills in the 1960 AFL season. On September 11, 1960, Harper scored the first official points in the history of the Bills. He also made the Bills' first kickoff, first field goal and first extra point kick.
Harper attended high school in Royal Oak, Michigan, before enrolling at the University of Michigan in 1956. He played football for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1957 to 1959.[1][2][3]
As a junior, Harper appeared in 7 of 9 games for the 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team,[4] three of them as the starting left halfback.[2] He was Michigan's leading rusher in 1958, totaling 309 rushing yards, 137 receiving yards, 131 passing yards, 60 kickoff return yards and 33 punt return yards.[4] Playing against Minnesota in October 1958, Harper ran 58 yards for the game-winning touchdown on the first play of the second half.[5] Harper also handled punting duties for Michigan; he had a 61-yard punt against Michigan State in October 1958.[6]
As a senior, Harper started all nine games at the left halfback position for the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team.[3] In the third quarter of the October 1959 game against Minnesota, Harper caught a punt at Michigan's 17-yard line and returned it 83 yards for the game's first points.[7] The return set the Michigan record for the longest punt return, a record which stood until 1972 when David Brown returned a punt 88 yards.[4] During the 1959 season, Harper rushed for 224 yards and also contributed 101 yards on punt returns and 62 yards on kickoff returns.[4]