NIACC Athletics Alumni Features

Shawn Harper

By Jarrod Tell

A white station wagon pulls to the side of the road in between two cornfields near Mason City, Iowa. Shawn Harper, a recently recruited offensive lineman from Columbus, Ohio, gets out of the car. He looks at his mom, who came with him from Columbus just the day before. His mom, still in the car, looks at him and says, "This is it, son, sink or swim." And with those seven words she leaves Harper in the middle of those two cornfields.

"And the rest is history," says Harper.

Shawn Harper is the only NIACC football player in the NJCAA Hall of Fame, as well as one of the few to ever play in the NFL. Until Marshall Yanda was drafted by Baltimore in the third round of 2007, Harper was the highest drafted football player to have ever attended NIACC. In his seven-year NFL career, Harper played in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Houston, and NFL Europe. While at NIACC, Harper honed his skills in football, and took steps to overcome a stuttering problem to become a motivational speaker after his NFL playing days.

Looking back, Harper says NIACC was a big part of his journey, and through his experiences here, he learned a lot about people and their cultures.

"I had an absolute blast at NIACC," Harper said. "Some of my experiences were hanging out at Clear Lake and traveling to the other small towns just to experience the culture, the people, being introduced to things like Iowa chops. But one of my greatest experiences is learning that people are people where ever you go."

During his short stay at NIACC, Harper had to grow up fast. While in high school, he graduated with a 1.62 cumulative GPA, last in his high school class. On his final day, he had no idea what he was going to be doing for the rest of his life. However, NIACC head coach Dick Ramsey, who was recruiting in Ohio, got a recommendation from Harper’s high school coach. The unexpected phone call from Ramsey didn’t seem like much at the time, but it proved to be a turning point in Harper’s life.

"Coach Ramsey called me and he invited me up, and I said, ‘You know what, I’m not doing anything else. I’ll go," Harper said.

After accepting the offer, Harper loaded up the family station wagon with his mom, and drove to Mason City. When they reached Mason City, his mom helped with a loan and financial aid, and on the second day told Shawn to "sink or swim."

To keep his head above water, Harper grew fast to keep up with the new things being thrown at him on the field, in the classroom and in life.

"I think the biggest change was there was an increased level of competition (on the field), but now all the responsibility is directed upon you," said Harper. "You’ve got to take responsibility for your decisions now. If you don’t show up, you don’t show up. If you’re not going to study, you’re not going to study. My situation was worse because I had no support system. I couldn’t drive home on weekends and get a pep talk from my mom and dad. I’m twelve hours away. All that responsibility was being thrust upon me at once."

Since he was so far away from home, he rarely got back home and remained on campus to get extra help for classes during the summer. That decision became a defining moment, says Harper, and former NIACC football assistant coach John Oertel agrees.

"Staying here during the summer is what really opened the door for him to become the football player he was and make it to the NFL," Oertel said. "He knew what he had to do, and he was willing to make the sacrifice academically and in the weight room."

But Harper said he did go home every once in a while, like the time Harper and three other players hopped into a Saab and drove the twelve hours home to stay for two days and to get a home made meal. Most of the time, he didn’t have to go nearly as far for a home- made meal: "In my second year, there were two professors--Mr. Snyder and Mr. Love; those guys every once in a while would make a meal for us or invite us over."

NIACC was also a spring board for the playing field. Harper never played in his first year, but through his work, he became a key offensive lineman for the Trojans during sophomore year.

"He was a young man who had tremendous potential physically just because he was so big," Oertel said. "But he had some problems, like his flat feet. They made him kind of slow, but he overcame that with the tenacity to do the things he was going to be asked to do."

Coach Mark Tigges, Harper’s offensive line coach, agrees with Oertel about Harper’s potential.

"He came in as a big guy who was really raw," Tigges said. "You could tell he had talent, he just needed to develop it, and that was the biggest thing with Shawn, getting his skills developed to the next level. He was always a strong kid, it was just his feet were a little slow."

Harper’s NIACC moment came against Ellsworth, in what he believes was one of the best games he ever had. An offensive lineman doesn’t get glamorous stats, his name in the paper all that often, nor receive very much credit outside the locker room. But it was this game and the compliments afterwards that sent Harper to the next level and beyond.

"It was at that moment I began to realize that I had a potential to play Division I and possibly NFL football," Harper said. "At the end of the game I remember Coach Ramsey, Coach Oertel, and a couple of other coaches congratulating me, and it was how they were congratulating me, and it gave me that spark. I had never really started in high school football. I had no honorable mentions, no all-conference, no nothing. In the first year I never stepped on the field on play. I began to realize, and people began to realize, ‘Hey, you have something.’ That game changed my life."

Harper received another unexpected phone call that year from an Indiana University scout. Harper, as mentioned before, an Ohio native, had one thing on his mind when it came to Indiana football, and he didn’t need much convincing to become a Hoosier.

"All I was thinking about was Big-10 football," Harper said. "So when he called me from Indiana University, I was like, ‘I’m there. No other team in the country has a chance, it’s a done deal.’"

Harper took more than just the teachings he received at NIACC, he also took the positive experiences he had valued over the past two years that he would use for the rest of his life.

"NIACC prepared me just by being in a different environment. It allowed me to transfer and cope a lot easier when I got to Indiana University. The education (at NIACC) is top notch, and that is what helped me the most."

Harper went for a visit when the Indiana football team was practicing and noticed right away what he was in for. Harper says the fact everybody at that level was All-American or All-State was intimidating, but he worked through the ranks. But it was off of the field Harper found his most lasting experience, his relationship with head coach Bill Mallory.

"He was a great coach," said Harper. "He was a father to me. He showed how a man is supposed to live. He showed me integrity. He showed me to stand by my word. I knew he loved me more than just a player, he loved me as a person. The guys were great, football was awesome. But my greatest experience was playing for a legend like Bill Mallory."

Harper was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 4th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. During his career, Harper played for the Rams, the Houston Oilers, the Indianapolis Colts, and three years in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals and Frankfurt Galaxy. He played on the same teams as future Hall of Fame running backs Marshall Faulk in Indianapolis and Jerome Bettis in Los Angeles, Hall of Fame lineman Bruce Mathews in Houston, and Hall of Fame lineman Jackie Slater in Los Angeles.

Harper sums up the NFL in two words, fast and blessing. Everything about the level was quick, but he says it was one of the hugest blessings of his life to play.

"It was a blessing to play with that elite fraternity of men, to play at that level, to be recognized at that level as being the best of the best is absolutely amazing," Harper said. "One of the best experiences of my life and I will always cherish it and carry it."

After retiring from the NFL, Harper became a motivational/inspirational speaker. Harper stuttered while he was growing up, and he says it didn’t really improve until he got to college. One day he was in a sociology class, he finally found the catalyst that unlocked his speaking abilities.

"I was speaking and this girl said to me, ‘Shawn, do you notice how people listen to you when you talk?’ I was like ‘No,’ and she said ‘Pay attention next time.’ With that spark, I noticed people are listening to me, and I began to build confidence.

"When the football season ended, they would ask people to come in and speak for charities and groups. I was thinking when football was over the opportunities would happen diminish, but the opposite happened and people kept calling me and calling me and calling me."

The opportunity has given Harper the chance to travel all over the country as well as the world. He has spoken in Egypt, Swaziland, South Africa, Australia, and all over Europe.

Harper was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame while playing at Indiana, and even though the honor was unexpected, it’s still an honor that Harper takes very seriously.

"I was incredibly honored," said Harper. "I didn’t know I made such an impact to the game, but I was blessed to have an honor, and I also realize that honor came with a responsibility to hold up the integrity of the game. I carry it with honor but know it comes with a responsibility."

But Harper still brings credit back to that small community college surrounded by a sea of cornfields on the eastern edge of Mason City, where he chose to swim rather than sink.

"But what is so amazing is, it all began with one phone call," Harper said, pausing to gather his thoughts for the next sentence. "It all started with a phone call from Richard Ramsey that I almost didn’t accept. And the rest is history."

Harper has some food-for-thought he would like to pass on to all student-athletes:

"Recognize the moment. Most people miss it in life because they miss opportunities. Right now is one of the greatest opportunities in your life, and you have to be able to recognize the moment and to recognize the opportunity and to capitalize on it. You have a chance to put yourself on a platform to Division I, II, and III schools. This is a very important opportunity, and if you get distracted you will miss it.

"Recognize the moment, because in two years, it is gone," he continued. "Remember this: always start with the end in mind; it all comes down to the power of choice. You aren’t born winners or losers; you’re all born choosers."

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