Derrick Harden (born April 21, 1964) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Ellsworth Panthers and Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds. He was also a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
| No. 82 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 21, 1964 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Milwaukee (WI) South Division | ||||||||
| College: | Ellsworth CC (1982–1983) Eastern New Mexico (1984–1985) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1986 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life
editHarden was born on April 21, 1964, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] He attended South Division High School in Milwaukee and is one of 10 alumni of the school to play in the NFL, as well as the most recent, as of 2024.[2] At South Division, he competed in football, where he was an end, and in track and field.[3][4] In football, he was named to the Shrine all-star game after his senior season.[5]
College career
editHarden enrolled at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa in 1982.[1] As a wide receiver, he helped Ellsworth win an Iowa Junior College Conference (IJCC) title and a Like Cola Bowl berth in 1983 with a 9–1 regular season record.[6] He was a first-team all-region selection and had compiled eight touchdowns with an average of 26 yards-per-reception by the time of the bowl game.[6][7]
Harden transferred to the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program, in 1984.[1][8] In the third game of the season, against No. 6–ranked East Central Oklahoma State, he scored two touchdowns while helping Eastern New Mexico come back from a 46–14 deficit in the third quarter to win 50–46.[8] He then broke out as the team's leading receiver and one of the top receivers in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) as a senior in 1985.[9][10] He finished the season being named a first-team All-LSC selection after totaling 40 catches for 904 yards, averaging 22.6 yards-per-reception.[10]
Professional career
editNot selected in the 1986 NFL draft, Harden signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on May 6, 1986.[11][12] He left the team's training camp around May 25, 1986.[13] Harden was working at a post office in Milwaukee in early 1987 where he met former Green Bay Packers player Lionel Aldridge.[14] Aldridge suggested to the team that it should give Harden a tryout; he signed with the Packers in May 1987.[14][15] Considered a longshot to make the team, he was released on August 31.[16][17]
In September, when the NFL Players Association went on strike, each team assembled rosters of replacement players, and Harden was re-signed by the Packers on September 23.[17][18] He made his NFL debut on October 4 against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, returning one kickoff for 13 yards.[19] He was Eastern New Mexico's fourth NFL player all-time.[20] He returned another kickoff for 20 yards in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions, then returned two kicks for 39 yards and made two receptions for 29 yards in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles, although he also had one fumble in the last game.[19] Harden was released on October 19, at the end of the strike, ending his career with four kickoff returns for 72 yards and two receptions for 29 yards in three games played.[11][17]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Derrick Harden Stats". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "South Division (Milwaukee, WI) Alumni Pro Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "Panthers end season in style". The Journal Times. November 2, 1980. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Track". The Capital Times. May 15, 1982. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Three locals on all-star football team". The Waukesha County Freeman. United Press International. February 2, 1982. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Grett, Wayne (November 20, 1983). "Ellsworth offense tests DuPage in Like bowl". The Des Moines Register. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "3 Trojans all-regional". Globe Gazette. November 17, 1983. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Eastern New Mexico Blasts Past Tigers". Albuquerque Journal. September 17, 1984. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Larkin, Bob (October 30, 1985). "Harden Catches On As ENMU Receiver". Albuquerque Journal. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "ASU paces All-LSC team". San Angelo Standard-Times. December 4, 1985. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Derrick Harden Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "Deals". Nanaimo Daily News. May 7, 1986. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Zurkowsky, Herb (May 26, 1986). "Notes". The Gazette. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Packers". The Capital Times. May 4, 1987. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Packers sign free agents". The Journal Times. May 4, 1987. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McGinn, Bob (August 18, 1987). "Some Packers' cuts not tough enough". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Derrick Harden NFL Transactions". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "Packers". The Capital Times. September 26, 1987. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Derrick Harden Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "Eastern New Mexico Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
