AFTER NEW YORK

The Harpers raised two sons, Scott and Matt. Scott starred at quarterback for Tulsa Union High School. The summer following his junior year, he attended a football camp at South Carolina, which was coached by former Giant JOE MORRISON. Morrison was on the opposing sideline when Oklahoma State defeated South Carolina in the 1984 Gator Bowl.

“When Scott got home, Joe called, told me Scott was an outstanding prospect, fastest guy there, and he was offering him a full scholarship,” Harper said.

That following season tragedy struck. Harper tells the story.

“Union had just lost a first-round playoff game. After the game, Scott asked me for my hunting jacket as he and some of his buddies had plans to drive to Lake Eufaula early the next morning and go duck hunting, something they did all the time.

“Late that following evening, the SUV Scott drove was in a one-vehicle accident. Seems all three boys had gone to sleep. Scott’s brain stem that was connected to the rest of his body had been severed, making him a quadriplegic, couldn’t do anything for himself.”

Scott was hospitalized for 10 months. Upon his release, Charlie and Linda decided to care for Scott at home and soon moved to Dallas in 1990, where there was more experienced medical care available for his injury. Asked if caring for Scott had been tough, Harper replied, “Not really. Actually it was a blessing and taught me a lot. Scott never seemed to have a bad day.”

Initially doctors thought Scott was brain dead, but Harper found out different.

“I used to write Bible verses on 3x5 cards and read them to him, holding them where he could see them. After a while, I noticed he was following along with his eyes as I read them. I said, ‘You’re reading them!’ His eyes blinked, his way of letting me know he understood. Also, he could move his thumbs a little. After that, we pointed to different letters on a board. Scott blinked when a letter appeared that he wanted to use to spell a word. His mind was good. We could communicate! One blink for yes and two for no. He was great for teasing jokes. If it was a good one, he would grin and blink once. If it was stupid, he’d just look at you!

“One day our family received a $6,000 check from the Giants’ owner. A new computer had been developed that would help Scott communicate better by wearing a special set of eyeglasses, and the check covered the purchase.”

“Mr. Mara doing that was such a special thing,” Harper said. “I couldn’t do anything for the Giants anymore and hadn’t had any contact with them in over 15 years. I WASN’T ALL-PRO OR ANYTHING, BUT THAT’S JUST THE WAY THE GIANTS AND THE MARA FAMILY WERE.”

When Scott’s computer arrived, everyone was excited. Two therapists and a doctor came out the next day to hook it up.

“They made us wait in another room while they were with Scott,” Harper said. “After a while, we could barely hear what was going on. The doc asked Scott a simple question and when he correctly answered it, there was a mild noise of approval from the doctor and therapists. Finally, they invited us in. Scott answered three consecutive questions wrong. They were deflated. I looked at Scott. He slowly pushed at the computer with his thumbs and curled his lower lip, his way of saying, ‘I gotcha.’

“From his response it was easy to see he was pleased. Such a blessing — there was just something about him. Well, it wasn’t just something, it was Jesus Christ.”

SCOTT PASSED AWAY IN 2006 AT AGE 37.

The Harper’s younger son, Matt, was an outstanding football player in his own right, playing two years at Stanford, then finishing at TCU, before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers’ taxi (practice) squad for two seasons. While at TCU, he beat OU and was selected as the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

With regards to his wife Linda (whom he married in college), Harper stated, “I’m fortunate she put up with me these 51 years. I was richly blessed and had overmarried — couldn’t have picked a better person, never wanted to.”

On the OSU experience, Harper added, “If I don’t get a scholarship, I don’t go to school. So much good came out of it for me. I sure wouldn’t be down here playing golf every day.

“Although it’s never fun to lose, I think a person sometimes learns more from losing than from winning. My last game when we beat OU to snap that long losing streak was a great way to go out.”

Charlie and Linda moved to Houston in 2013 to be close to Matt and his family. And what occupies Charlie’s time today?

“I love to play golf and tinker with clubs. I don’t like getting in a hurry so I can try to make them perfect. I enjoy my Bible study, which I do every day first thing when I get up. Linda and I enjoy our grandkids, two girls and a grandson. I only watch two teams — OSU and the Giants. Always proud to say I played at OSU — loved the players, coaches, students, fans. I couldn’t have found a better place.”