Bio
Jesse Harper (1883–1961) was a pioneering football coach and rancher. Born in DeKalb County, Illinois, his family moved to Mason, Iowa, where his father was in the cattle business. Harper attended Morgan Park Academy and later the University of Chicago, where he began his football career in 1902. By 1906, he was coaching at Alma College.
In 1913, Harper became head football coach at Notre Dame, revolutionizing the game by developing the forward pass alongside Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais. This innovation dramatically reduced the danger of injuries caused by the brutal line plays of the time. That same year, Notre Dame stunned the football world by defeating the powerhouse West Point team 35-13, setting a new standard for modern football.
In 1917, Harper left coaching as World War I impacted college athletics. He moved to Kansas to manage his father-in-law’s 20,000-acre cattle ranch in Clark County, Kansas. However, the Great Depression hit the cattle business hard, and Harper returned briefly to Notre Dame, offering guidance to the football program. In 1931, he identified the body of his friend and former colleague, Knute Rockne, after a tragic plane crash in Kansas.
After leaving Notre Dame in 1934, Harper focused on ranching, even serving as president of the Kansas Livestock Association (1930-1931). In 1958, he was honored with the Helms Hall of Fame Award for his contributions to college football.
