William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988 in Virginia Beach, Virginia) is a rookie wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings football team. Due to his impressive speed and open field running, and his ability to play multiple positions, he is regarded as a potentially explosive player. He was on national championship teams in both Pop Warner and NCAA football and on a Virginia State champion football team.

Biography

Childhood

Percy was born and grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his mother and sister. His mother ran a daycare out of their home and Percy helped a lot with the kids. Percy was always interested in athletics. In 2001 he played for Coach Bruce Pearl and the Virginia Beach Mustangs Pop Warner football team where he led the team to a Pop Warner National Championship.

High School Career

At Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Harvin was noted for his blazing speed (4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash, as a Freshman) and ability to make people miss in the open field. In 2003, during his sophomore year, the Landstown High School Eagles were the state Group AAA runner-up in football. The next year (2004), Harvin led the Eagles’ football team to a perfect 14-0 record and a Virginia Group AAA, Division 6 state championship. In the title game against James Robinson High School, Harvin accounted for 476 all purpose yards; in rushing, receiving, kick returns, and interception returns, and scored 5 touchdowns in the 47-20 victory. However, in 2005, Landstown finished 13-1 after suffering a 28-7 state championship game upset loss to Oakton High School of Vienna, VA. Oakton was led by University of Virginia recruit Keith Payne, who dominated the game, gaining 250 yards and scoring four touchdowns on offense, while shadowing Harvin from his outside linebacker position, holding him to just 49 total yards.[1] Following his stellar high school career, Harvin participated in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Harvin also set five state track records during his junior year at Landstown High, winning five gold medals at the state finals in June, 2005: long jump, triple jump, 100-meters, 200-meters and 400-meter relay. He also triumphed in basketball, where he helped the team to a 33-6 record and runner-up in the 2005 Virginia AAA state championship game. After receiving National Junior Player of the Year honors in 2005, Harvin became one of the most celebrated high school football players in the country. As one of the top recruits in the 2006 high school class, Harvin was ranked number one overall by Rivals.com[2] and the number two receiver by Scout.com.[3]

However, Harvin’s high school athletic career was not without controversy. He served a one-game suspension early in his junior year football season for unsportsmanlike conduct. As a senior, he was suspended for the final two regular-season games after making contact with an official and using inappropriate language during a game against First Colonial High School. In basketball, Harvin and a Green Run High School player were involved in a scuffle that prompted referees to stop the game with time remaining on the clock. As a result of this and prior incidents, Harvin was suspended from athletic competition by the Virginia High School League (VHSL). The suspension prevented Harvin from competing in the VHSL Group AAA State Indoor Track Meet at George Mason University that year. His loss, after becoming the first athlete to win five state track titles in the same meet during his junior year, was a huge blow to his high school track team.[4] Despite these missteps, Harvin ranks as one of the greatest high school athletes to come out of the Hampton Roads area, and on December 19, 2005, he committed to the University of Florida [5] over Florida State, Miami (FL), Michigan, and USC (CA).

College career

Freshman season

Harvin made his collegiate debut on September 2 2006 against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Harvin caught three passes for 33 yards and carried the ball four times for a team-leading 58 yards.[6] Harvin’s second game was on September 9 against the University of Central Florida Golden Knights. He caught four passes for a total of 99 yards, including a 58 yard touchdown pass. He also ran for 11 yards on two carries.[7] Harvin saw limited action in the third and fourth games of his career at Florida. Against the University of Tennessee Volunteers on September 16, 2006, Harvin had one catch for 12 yards and one rush for 13 yards[2]. He was injured in this game in the second quarter and thus played very little for the rest of the game and in the next week[3]. Against the Kentucky Wildcats on September 23, Harvin had only one rush for 2 yards. [8] He did not play in the game against the University of Alabama. Percy played very little in the game against LSU but returned to the lineup in the game against Auburn. Harvin continued his sporadically sensational freshman season, rushing for a 42 yard touchdown against rival Florida State. However, Harvin suffered a neck sprain and was taken off the field on a stretcher. Percy returned the next week for the SEC Championship Game against Arkansas and was spectacular, catching five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. He also ran six times for a team high 105 yards, including a 67 yard touchdown run. With that performance, Harvin won game MVP. Harvin finished off his freshman season with a win in the National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. Harvin lined up at quarterback numerous times, and was a factor in both the run game and the pass game. Harvin had 22 yards rushing, 60 yards receiving, and a rushing touchdown. Despite his injury plagued freshman season, Harvin was awarded SEC College Freshman of the year.

Sophomore season

Percy Harvin entered the 2007 season as the starting receiver for the Florida Gators. In the first game of the season, a 49-3 victory over Western Kentucky, Harvin recorded 3 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. In the 59-31 victory over Troy, Harvin grabbed 3 receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 56 yards on four carries. In the 59-20 victory over Tennessee, Percy Harvin contributed greatly to the victory with his 120 yards on four receptions and 75 rushing yards with a touchdown. The next victory, a 30-24 contest against Mississippi, Harvin grabbed 11 passes for 121 yards and a score. In the first loss of the season, 17-20 to Auburn, Harvin recorded 119 yards on 7 receptions. The game marked his third-consecutive 100-yard receiving game. The next game, a 24-28 loss to LSU, Harvin only recorded 69 total yards. However, in the 45-37 victory over Kentucky, Harvin recorded 97 total yards and a rushing touchdown. In the 30-42 loss to Georgia, Harvin only had 41 receiving yards but contributed with 97 rushing yards on 10 carries. Harvin’s best game of the season, statistically, was the next game against Vanderbilt in the victory, when he recorded 110 receiving yards on 9 receptions and 11 rushes for 113 yards and two rushing scores. After missing the South Carolina and Florida Atlantic victories with a sinus infection, Harvin returned with a 16 rush, 157 yard performance with a rushing touchdown against Florida State in the 45-12 victory. In the Capital One Bowl loss to University of Michigan, 35-41, Percy Harvin grabbed 9 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for 165 yards and a score. The game marked his third consecutive contest with 100+ yards rushing. Percy Harvin finished the season with 858 yards on 59 receptions for 4 touchdowns. He also totaled 764 yards on 83 rushes for 6 touchdowns. Harvin totaled 1,622 total yards and 10 touchdowns on the season, becoming the first receiver in school history to have over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a career. Harvin earned All-SEC first team honors as an all-purpose player, while earning second team honors as a receiver.

Percy was named to the pre-season All-American list and to the Heisman Trophy contenders list in March 2008.

Junior season

Early in his junior season, Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer officially announced his position had changed from wide receiver to running back. However, Percy Harvin continued to line up as a receiver for the Gators on a part time basis. In fact, he was more of a full time receiver than a running back.[9]

Percy was injury prone throughout his three-year career at the University of Florida, his ankle causing him the most problems. In his junior season, he missed the first game against Hawaii due to a high ankle sprain and also suffered a second during the Florida-FSU game on November 29. This injury prevented him from playing in the SEC Championship on December 6, in which the Gators defeated Alabama 31-20. Going into the BCS National Championship game against Oklahoma, Harvin had totaled 35 receptions for 595 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as 61 rushes for 538 yards and 22 touchdowns. In the BCS National Championship game, he accounted for nine carries for 122 yards with a touchdown, and five catches for 49 yards, playing on the injured ankle. Urban Meyer stated the day after the game that Harvin had suffered a hairline fracture in his lower right leg in addition to the high ankle sprain.[10] He declared for the 2009 NFL draft after his junior season.[11]

On January 15, 2009, Harvin announced he would forgo his remaining college eligibility and participate in the 2009 NFL Draft. Harvin finished his college career as one of the most prolific offensive threats in school history. In three seasons, he totaled 133 catches for 1,929 yards and 13 touchdowns, while rushing the ball 194 times for 1,852 yards with 19 touchdowns. His 32 career touchdowns is the most ever by a University of Florida wide receiver. He averaged an astounding 9.5 yards per carry as a running back and averaged 11.6 yards overall (running back, receiver, return man). He is the only player in UF history to rush for 100 yards and have 100 yards receiving in the same game (Vanderbilt, 2007).

NFL Combine

In February 2009, Harvin tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine. Considering players know in advance they will be tested at the combine, red flags were raised as to Harvin’s maturity, and some teams reportedly removed him from their potential draft rosters. However, his performance at the combine and his ability to play several positions counter-balanced the reported character issues.

NFL Draft

On April 25, 2009, Percy Harvin was selected by the Minnesota Vikings 22nd overall in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Harvin was the fourth wide receiver selected in the draft. Because of a positive drug test at the NFL combine, he will begin his career enrolled in the league’s substance abuse program.

Minnesota Vikings

Harvin will wear jersey #12 for the Minnesota Vikings, [12] most recently worn by quarterback Gus Frerotte.

On April 30, 2009, while en route a Minnesota Vikings rookie mini-camp, Harvin fell ill and was hospitalized prior to changing planes in Atlanta. He was released the following day. Vikings coach Brad Childress said Harvin was dehydrated and had a virus. [13] On a positive note, during minicamp, Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said that he had already drawn up 20 to 30 plays for Harvin, who will line up at both wide receiver and running back. In several of these plays, Harvin will take a direct snap from center.[14]

Harvin did not participate in the 2009 NFL Rookie Symposium due to illness.[15]

Awards and honors

* 2004 Virginia Beach District Offensive Player of the Year
* 2004 Virginia Eastern Region Offensive Player of the Year
* 2004 Rivals.com National High School Junior of the Year
* 2005 Parade High School All-American
* 2006 SEC College Freshman of the year
* 2006 SEC Championship Game MVP
* 2009 Sporting News first team All-American (receiver)[16]
* 2007 All-SEC second team (receiver) by league’s coaches[17]
* 2008 Rivals.com and AFCA first team All-American (all-purpose)[18][19]