University of North Texas Athletics
No. 96: 96 Seasons Of Football, Harper's Big Year
6/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
No. 96- The 2011 season marks a lot of "firsts" for the program. It will be the first year in a new football stadium. It will be the first-year under head coach Dan McCarney. But it will be the 96th year of football at North Texas as a program.
The program has compiled 470 wins during that time, captured 25 conference titles, and called five different stadium's home at one time, starting in Eagle Park, then Fouts Field, back and forth between the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium, and finally the new Mean Green Stadium.
Also considered
Lester Harper, who finished his career in the top-five all-time in tackles at North Texas with 359, had another big season on defense for the Mean Green.
Harper led North Texas with a team-high 96 tackles as the Mean Green won its first conference title in 10 seasons in 1983. The defense led by Harper that year allowed only 11.4 points a game, a total that has not been matched since and is the fourth lowest points allowed in the modern era at North Texas.
He helped led the team to the Southland Conference title and the NCAA I-AA playoffs for the first time. The '83 team held six of its 12 opponents to less than 10 points that year, which included two shutouts.
Previous Days and Schedule
| No. 100- | 100-yard fumble return for TD | No. 75- | Monday, June 27 | No. 50- | Friday, July 22 | No. 25 | Tuesday, August 16 |
| No. 99 | Fitzgerald Goes The Distance | No. 74- | Tuesday, June 28 | No. 49 | Saturday, July 23 | No. 24 | Wednesday, August 17 |
| No. 98 | Sears Woods' Stuns Knoxville | No. 73- | Wednesday, June 29 | No. 48 | Sunday, July 24 | No. 23 | Thursday, August 18 |
| No. 97- | NT Blows Out Decatur Baptist | No. 72- | Thursday, June 30 | No. 47 | Monday, July 25 | No. 22 | Friday, August 19 |
| No. 96- | 96-Years of Football | No. 71- | Friday, July 1 | No. 46 | Tuesday, July 26 | No. 21 | Saturday, August 20 |
| No. 95- | Tuesday, June 7 | No. 70- | Saturday, July 2 | No. 45 | Wednesday, July 27 | No. 20 | Sunday, August 21 |
| No. 94- | Wednesday, June 8 | No. 69- | Sunday, July 3 | No. 44 | Thursday, July 28 | No. 19 | Monday, August 22 |
| No. 93- | Thursday, June 9 | No. 68- | Monday, July 4 | No. 43 | Friday, July 29 | No. 18 | Tuesday, August 23 |
| No. 92- | Friday, June 10 | No. 67- | Tuesday, July 5 | No. 42 | Saturday, July 30 | No. 17 | Wednesday, August 24 |
| No. 91- | Saturday, June 11 | No. 66- | Wednesday, July 6 | No. 41 | Sunday, July 31 | No. 16 | Thursday, August 25 |
| No. 90- | Sunday, June 12 | No. 65- | Thursday, July 7 | No. 40 | Monday, August 1 | No. 15 | Friday, August 26 |
| No. 89- | Monday, June 13 | No. 64- | Friday, July 8 | No. 39 | Tuesday, August 2 | No. 14 | Saturday, August 27 |
| No. 88- | Tuesday, June 14 | No. 63- | Saturday, July 9 | No. 38 | Wednesday, August 3 | No. 13 | Sunday, August 28 |
| No. 87- | Wednesday, June 15 | No. 62- | Sunday, July 10 | No. 37 | Thursday, August 4 | No. 12 | Monday, August 29 |
| No. 86- | Thursday, June 16 | No. 61- | Monday, July 11 | No. 36 | Friday, August 5 | No. 11 | Tuesday, August 30 |
| No. 85- | Friday, June 17 | No. 60- | Tuesday, July 12 | No. 35 | Saturday, August 6 | No. 10 | Wednesday, August 31 |
| No. 84- | Saturday, June 18 | No. 59- | Wednesday, July 13 | No. 34 | Sunday, August 7 | No. 9 | Thursday, September 1 |
| No. 83- | Sunday, June 19 | No. 58- | Thursday, July 14 | No. 33 | Monday, August 8 | No. 8 | Friday, September 2 |
| No. 82- | Monday, June 20 | No. 57- | Friday, July 15 | No. 32 | Tuesday, August 9 | No. 7 | Saturday, September 3 |
| No. 81- | Tuesday, June 21 | No. 56- | Saturday, July 16 | No. 31 | Wednesday, August 10 | No. 6 | Sunday, September 4 |
| No. 80- | Wednesday, June 22 | No. 55- | Sunday, July 17 | No. 30 | Thursday, August 11 | No. 5 | Monday, September 5 |
| No. 79- | Thursday, June 23 | No. 54- | Monday, July 18 | No. 29 | Friday, August 12 | No. 4 | Tuesday, September 6 |
| No. 78- | Friday, June 24 | No. 53- | Tuesday, July 19 | No. 28 | Saturday, August 13 | No. 3 | Wednesday, September 7 |
| No. 77- | Saturday, June 25 | No. 52- | Wednesday, July 20 | No. 27 | Sunday, August 14 | No. 2 | Thursday, September 8 |
| No. 76- | Sunday, June 26 | No. 51- | Thursday, July 21 | No. 26 | Monday, August 15 | No. 1 | Friday, September 9 |
