Biography
Averaging roughly 12 games a year over a 33 career year span, Jimmy Harper figures he's officiated around 400 college football games. But now, even though his days on the field are over, have been since 1996, you'll still find him in a college football stadium about seven Saturdays over the season as an observer; watching, grading and critiquing working officials.
It's been a long and satisfying run wearing stripes for the Southeastern Conference for this one-time all-star athlete; a career that this year is honored with the Outstanding Official Award presented by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
It's a lot different observing than working a game. He likens it to a movie actor watching himself on the screen. It's a very strange perspective.
Something else is different: "Now," Harper says, "all the officials I'm grading call me 'Sir.' I'm not one of the boys anymore."
But when he was 'one of the boys,' he was a busy one. Of those approximate 400 college games Harper worked, 45 of them were major bowl games. Harper doesn't know of any other official who can touch that number. An astounding 20 of them were Senior Bowls. His 20th Senior Bowl, and the last game he ever officiated, was the 1996 game.
One of his favorite games was the 1983 Orange Bowl which matched Miami and Bernie Kosar against 14 point favorite Nebraska. There was kind of a toss up as to who would be crowned the number one team that January 1. It got more confused after Georgia upset another number one contender, Texas, in the earlier Cotton Bowl game. When the Orange Bowl began, it was mostly assumed it was to be Nebraska's coronation. The Huskers were favored by 14.
"It was the best played game I've ever been involved with," Harper, who was referee, says. "There were practically no penalties; maybe five in the whole game. We officials might as well as not have been there."
Miami was a surprise. Late in the game the Hurricanes were ahead 30-24. Then with 30 seconds left to play, Nebraska scored (30-31) and the Huskers were going for two and the national championship.
Harper's story continues: "As Nebraska lined up for the play, the head linesman, George Morris, starts waving his hands and yelling to me, 'Jimmy...Jimmy..." Here, Harper digresses to note that his friend George Morris was one of the best officials he ever knew. He was also a Hall of Fame center at Georgia Tech (1950-52). "Anyway, play stopped, George runs over to me and I ask him, 'What do you want? What are you talking about? I've got all this to worry about, what's so important?"
"I can't remember if I put the beer on ice at the hotel."
For the record, Nebraska did not make the play or the number one ranking. Miami did. And the beer was cold. That was one of three National Championship games Harper officiated. The others were the 1987 Fiesta Bowl pitting Penn State against Miami and the 1992 Rose Bowl, Washington vs. Michigan.
When Harper signed on as SEC official in 1963, there were two prerequisites; you had to have previous officiating experience and you had to have played football. Harper had played plenty of football. As quarterback for Thomasville High School in his native Georgia, Harper had been All-America, All-State, All-Region and All-South GA in 1951. He also played baseball (appeared in both football and baseball 1951 All-Star Games), ran track (State Finals in the 100 yard dash and the relay), basketball (he made All-Region in 1951) and tennis (played the State Singles Tournament in 1950).
Staying at home, Harper signed on at Georgia and, playing quarterback and defensive back, was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. Zeke Bratkowski was the Bulldog starting quarterback then and when he graduated, Harper moved into the number one spot for the 1954-55 seasons.
After his 1956 graduation, Harper went into the Air Force and was stationed at Roswell, New Mexico, but he was never far away from football. Harper started a touch football league at the airbase and also reffed high school games around the state. The pay was $17.50 per game for a three man crew. The driver got the extra $2.50.
In 1960, Harper left the Air Force and joined Merrill Lynch as a trainee (Some 42 years later, he's still a stockbroker vice-president at Merrill in Atlanta). One day, just walking along during a training break. Harper ran into a friend of his, George Gardner. One thing led to another and all of a sudden, Harper was following up his pal's suggestion, becoming a high school official with the Georgia Football Officials Association.
Three years later, Harper was accepted as an official by the SEC and a marvelous 33-year career was underway. At first he worked freshman games, worked the field clock, worked his way up the ladder. Then in 1966 or '67, Harper got his first college varsity game. He may not be sure of the year but he is of the game; Kentucky vs. Detroit University at Lexington.
Off the field, Harper served on the hoard of directors of the National Association of Sports Officials from 1990 to 1994 and was its' chair in 1994.
Today, aside from his work and his football observing, Harper hits the links several times a week. He's got a six handicap and he says being a stockbroker fits well with golf. Harper married his college sweetheart, Carol Smith, in 1956 after graduation. They have three children and ten grandchildren.
Going back to his Georgia football days, Harper says the Bulldog record was 6-3-1 and 4-6 his two starting years. What happened to the record his last season? "Bad officiating," he says.
