Willie Harper

{{Short description|American football player (born 1950)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{BLP sources|date=February 2015}}

{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Willie Harper

| image =

| number = 59

| position = Linebacker

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|7|30|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Toledo, Ohio, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 215

| high_school = Scott (Toledo)

| college = Nebraska (1969–1972)

| draftyear = 1973

| draftround = 2

| draftpick = 41

| pastteams =

• San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1973}}–{{NFL Year|1983}})
• New Jersey Generals ({{USFL Year|1984}})
• Houston Gamblers ({{USFL Year|1985}})

| highlights =

• Super Bowl champion (XVI)
• 2× National champion (1970, 1971)
• 2× Consensus All-American (1971, 1972)
• 2× First-team All-Big Eight (1971, 1972)
• Second-team All-Big Eight (1970)

| statlabel1 = Sacks

| statvalue1 = 3

| statlabel2 = INT yards

| statvalue2 = 43

| statlabel3 = Games

| statvalue3 = 134

| statlabel4 = Games Played

| statvalue4 = 100

| pfr = H/HarpWi20

}}

Willie Miles Harper (born July 30, 1950) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, twice earning consensus All-American honors. Harper won Super Bowl XVI with the 49ers during the 1981 season. He also played in the United States Football League (USFL).

Harper played high school football for Toledo Scott and attended the University of Nebraska, where he was an All-American in 1972 and was drafted in the second round of the 1973 NFL draft by the 49ers, who he stayed with for eleven years, from 1973 to 1983.{{cite web |title=Willie Harper Career Stats |url=https://www.nfl.com/players/willie-harper/stats/career |website=NFL.com |access-date=November 3, 2021}} He moved to the USFL in 1984 to play for the New Jersey Generals. He finished his career with the Houston Gamblers in 1985.

His son, Josh Harper, played college football at Fresno State University.{{Cite web|url=https://huskers.com/news/2011/9/8/205268667.aspx|title=Yes, Fresno State Receiver Josh Harper is Willie Harper's Son|website=University of Nebraska|access-date=2021-01-09|archive-date=2017-02-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081440/http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=205268667|url-status=dead}} His granddaughter is rapper Saweetie.{{cite news|title=Saweetie Explains Why She Refused Career Help From Famous Relatives|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2020/08/saweetie-explains-why-she-refused-career-help-from-famous-relatives|date=August 26, 2020|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=Complex|language=en}}{{cite magazine|last=Haithcoat|first=Rebecca|date=May 15, 2018|title=Artist You Need to Know: Saweetie|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/how-saweetie-bay-area-icy-grl-moved-from-instagram-car-raps-to-the-majors-628422/|access-date=January 9, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}