Jerry Harper

Who was Jerry Harper?

Jerry "Moose" Harper was an American basketball player best known for his collegiate career at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa between 1952–53 and 1955–56. Harper, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, was 6 ft 8 in and played the center and forward positions.

In 1952–53, his freshman season, he was voted a second team All-American by the Associated Press . He averaged 17.8 points and 17.0 rebounds per game in 21 games played. His sophomore year, Harper once again averaged 17.8 points per game, although his rebounds dipped to 14.9 per game in 24 games played. The AP selected him to their All-America third team. In Harper's final two seasons, he averaged 21.0 points and 19.0 rebounds for his junior year, and 22.3 points and 21.5 rebounds as a senior. This rebounding mark still stands as the best in the history of the Southeastern Conference.

Harper became the first Crimson Tide player to lead his team in scoring all four years en route to finishing with 1,861 for his career, while his 1,688 career rebounds place him eighth all-time in the history of NCAA Division I men's basketball.