Harper Named DC, Walker Retained
12/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 15, 2004
NACOGDOCHES, Texas-- Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack head football coach Robert McFarland has named J.C. Harper defensive coordinator for the Lumberjack football team. Harper will take over those duties immediately.
A 15-year veteran of college coaching, Harper comes to SFA after spending the past two seasons at Western Michigan University. Harper was the defensive line coach at Western Michigan in 2003 and served as the defensive coordinator for the Broncos last season. Jason Babin, a first round selection of the Houston Texans in the NFL draft a year ago, earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2003 while playing for Harper at Western Michigan.
A 1989 graduate of Clemson University, Harper also spent the 2002 as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Northwestern State University. The Demons went 9-4 in 2002 and made the NCAA I-AA playoffs. The Northwestern State defense allowed opponents an average of only 276 yards per game for the season. Harper also coached SLC Defensive Player of the Year Roy Locks during his stay in Natchitoches, La.
Prior to that, Harper served as the defensive line coach at McNeese State for three seasons. The Cowboys claimed two playoff appearances during Harper's stay and led the SLC in rushing defense and total defense during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
The 39-year old Harper also served as the defensive coordinator at Southwest Missouri State during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at North Carolina under Mack Brown and later served under Lou Holtz, working with the defensive line and tight ends. During his Notre Dame stay, Harper coached Irish teams which appeared in the 1991 Orange Bowl and the 1992 Sugar Bowl.
A four year letterwinner at Clemson, Harper was a member of three ACC championship teams with the Tigers and appeared in four bowl games. His late father, Tom, played for Coach Bear Bryant at Kentucky and was also a former collegiate head coach at Wake Forest and an assistant at Clemson when the Tigers won a national title in 1981.
McFarland also announced that Robert Walker has been retained and will remain a part of his offensive staff at the university. Walker has spent seven years on the Lumberjack coaching staff, coaching the offensive line for the past five seasons. He also has served as SFA's recruiting coordinator for the past several years.
Harper's hiring is pending approval of the SFA Board of Regents.
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