J. W. Harper died October 9, 2023

The following article by Mark McGee appeared in the Shelbyville Times-Gazette February 20, 2020.

Shelbyville's J.W. Harper honored by MTSU, where he broke the color barrier
Posted Saturday, February 29, 2020 12:00 am
By MARK MCGEE ~ For the T-G
MURFREESBORO -- J.W. Harper didn't plan on being the first African-American football player at Middle Tennessee State University.

Destiny guided him there. He has gone into the history books with that designation.

Earlier this month Harper, and seven other African American athletes, were honored as "True Blue" Pioneers.

The events, on Feb. 6, included a public forum facilitated by MTSU faculty and staff member Ed Arning in the Student Union ballroom, a reception at the Rose and Emmett Kennon Sports Hall of Fame and a special ceremony at halftime of MTSU's men's basketball game with North Texas at Murphy Center.

"This was unbelievable," Harper said. "When Jim Simpson (Varsity Club Director) called me and started talking about this event, I was crying. Everything I am I owe to MTSU. I love this school.

"By using me as an example that helped all the other black people who came to MSTU. They used me to show black athletes around the campus."

*** An early start

Harper, the son of sharecroppers in Bedford County, was no stranger to the MTSU campus, though his presence as a football player was unusual when he walked on in 1968.

"I had been coming to school at MTSU since 1966," Harper said. "At Harris High School I was selected to be one of the trial students in the Upward Bound program along with Terry Johnson.

"Dr. Bob Womack and (men's basketball) coach Jimmy Earle worked with us. When I decided to go to college, I didn't have any other choice. MTSU was all I knew."

Harper echoed the sentiments of his fellow honorees. They didn't decide on MTSU to make a statement about integration. They only had two things in mind -- earning a college degree and competing to the best of their abilities as athletes.

"I came to school in an era where the schools were integrating anyway," Harper said. "I had gone from Harris High to Central my junior and senior years.

*** Football was the great equalizer

Harper played for both Harris High School and Shelbyville Central High School as the segregation of students in Bedford County ended midway through his high school years.

He played two seasons at Harris under coaches Will Porter Martin and Lendell Massengale. He remembers both as being tough, but fair.

"I started playing varsity football back in the sixth grade," Harper said. "We had 50 guys maybe.

"One coach had a paddle in his back pocket. One had a paddle in his front pocket. If you missed a tackle or a block you were going to get paddled. All of that made us better."

Harper also was percussionist in the band at Harris.

"At halftime I would take off my shoulder pads and helmet, put my jersey back on and go out and play," Harper said.

His head coach at Central was Doug Langston. Harper recalls no issues for him as he made the transition to be a Golden Eagle.

He would be named the Most Valuable Player his senior year where he played center and defensive end. He also played on the basketball team and ran track and field.

"In football you just go hit," Harper said. "I was going to hit you until I whipped you. The only time I felt it was a challenge was when somebody was playing the same position as me.

"We went head up at Harris. Once you stepped on over the line onto that grass field the only question was if you were better than the person in front of you. If you beat the other guy you played. It was just football."

*** Harper impresses Murphy

Two of his fellow honorees, Ray Bonner and Ed Miller were from Cowan and played at Franklin County High School. They were the first African American scholarship football players. Harper was already there to welcome them.

Coach Charles "Bubba" Murphy gave Harper a tryout for the team. In 1969 he was a tight end. From 1970 through 1972 he was a defensive end.

"Coach Murphy let me walk on," Harper said. "My philosophy was you might be bigger, and you might be faster than me, but I am going to be better than you. He called me in and said, 'I can tell you really want to play.'

"He said as I was as good or better than some of the players on the team. He told me he was going to redshirt me. He said they weren't going to win any games that year and he didn't want to waste me eligibility."

Harper, who also played on the basketball team from 1968-69, never was given a scholarship. He didn't want one. He was on a work study program. He washed the football uniforms each day after practice, cleaned equipment and made sure all equipment was in place in each locker for the next day. He repeated that job for the men's basketball team as well.

"Coach Earle was my work-study advisor," Harper said. "I would put loads of laundry in after practice, go to the cafeteria and eat and come back to locker room and put everything back in the lockers. Most of the players didn't know I was doing that.

"I enjoyed it. It was something I can't explain."

*** A life of success

Harper earned a B.S. degree in health, physical education and recreation from MTSU. He received his M.Ed. degree in administration and supervision from Tennessee State University.

From 1973-81 Harper was the head football coach and athletic director, as well as the head boys and girls track coach and assistant principal at Tennessee Preparatory School in Nashville. During his time there he would work with James Scott, who had been a former principal at Shelbyville Central High School.

"We were state champions in both girls and boys track and we were fortunate enough to go to bowl games in football," Harper said. "Even though the school was for abandoned and neglected children we molded them together team-wise.

"We beat almost every private school in the Greater Nashville area. It was unbelievable. Some of my old students have tracked me down in Houston and we still keep in touch."

In 1981 he read about the need for teachers in Houston, Texas and he answered the call.

"I had lived in Middle Tennessee all my life," Harper said. "I was working on my masters at Tennessee State and there were all of these notices about needing teachers in Houston.

"I decided to go. I haven't regretted it."

Harper was a coach and teacher at two Houston area high schools. In 1991 he was named an assistant football coach at Texas Southern University. Among his players was National Football Hall of Famer and television personality Michael Strahan.

"My love was sports and to coach and try to give back," Harper said. "I grew up very, very poor. People gave me chances in sports."

He served as a language arts teacher at Alief Learning Center in Alief, Texas, from 2002-12. Since then he has been a substitute teacher in Pearland, Texas.

Earle is not surprised about Harper's success.

"J.W. is just a good person," Earle said. "I have nothing but good thoughts about J.W.

"He worked hard. He had a great attitude. He would do anything for you. He is a very giving person."