Percy Harvin

William Percival "Percy" Harvin, III (born May 28, 1988) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). The Associated Press recognized him as its Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2009 NFL season.

Harvin played college football for the University of Florida when the Florida Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008. He attended and played football for Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his team won the Virginia high school state championship in 2004.

Childhood
Percy was born to William Percival Harvin, Jr. and wife Linda in Chesapeake, Virginia, where after his father's departure, he lived with his mother, and his older sister Lintera. His mother Linda ran a daycare out of their home as Percy helped with the children. Percy's mother ran track at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach and later coached an AAU track team. His sister, Lintera, also ran track, both at Salem High School in Virginia Beach and at Eastern Michigan University. As a child, Percy was a gifted athlete whose prowess was first noted as a six-year old flag football participant. In 2000, at age 12, he was a member of the National Champion 4x100m relay team in the Midget (11-12) Age Group. At age 13, 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 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. A year later, 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, as well as scoring 5 touchdowns in the 47-20 victory. In 2005 however, Landstown finished 13-1 after suffering a 28-7 state championship game upset loss to Oakton High School of Vienna, Virginia. Following his stellar high school career, Harvin participated in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He also set four state track records during his junior year at Landstown High, winning five gold medals at the state finals in June 2005 including 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 and the number two receiver by Scout.com.

Despite his accomplishments, Harvin's high school athletic career was not without controversy. He served a one-game suspension early in his junior 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.

Despite these missteps, Harvin ranks as one of the greatest high school athletes to come out of the Hampton Roads area. He scored 77 career touchdowns, accounted for more points than any player in South Hampton Roads history, and led Landstown High School to three consecutive Group AAA Division 6 state football championship games. As a junior Harvin led the Landstown HS basketball team to the state final, and became the first athlete since 1936 to win five gold medals at the state track meet. Despite several earlier statements that he would attend Florida State University, on December 19, 2005, Harvin committed to the University of Florida over Florida State, University of Miami (FL), University of Michigan, and University of Southern California.

College career
Harvin accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played on coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team for three seasons from 2006 to 2008. Harvin had an immediate and dramatic impact for the Gators as a freshman in 2006, and was a key offensive player during the Gators' national championship season in 2008.

Freshman season
Harvin made his collegiate debut for the Florida Gators on September 2, 2006 against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Harvin was a dual threat, lining up at both running back and wide receiver. He caught three passes for 33 yards and carried the ball four times for a team-leading 58 yards. 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. Harvin also ran for 11 yards on two carries. In the third and fourth games of the season, Harvin saw limited action against the University of Tennessee Volunteers, where had one catch for 12 yards and one rush for 13 yards. He was injured in the second quarter and thus played very little for the rest of the game and during practice the following week. A week later against the Kentucky Wildcats, Harvin had only one rush for 2 yards. Due to his injuries, Harvin did not play against the University of Alabama and played sparingly against LSU. He returned to the lineup for the Auburn game and continued his sporadic freshman year performance, rushing for a 42 yard touchdown against rival Florida State. However, Harvin suffered a neck sprain in the game and was taken off the field on a stretcher. Percy returned the next week for the SEC Championship Game against Arkansas, by catching five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Harvin also ran six times for a team high 105 yards, including a 67 yard touchdown run. With that performance, Harvin was named the game MVP. He finished off his freshman season with a win in the National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. In the game, Harvin lined up at quarterback numerous times, and was a factor in both the run game and the pass game with 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
Harvin entered the 2007 season as the starting receiver for the Gators. In the season opener, a 49-3 victory over Western Kentucky, Harvin recorded 3 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. A week later against Troy, Harvin grabbed 3 receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 56 yards on four carries. The next game, a blowout victory over Tennessee, Harvin contributed greatly with 120 yards on 4 receptions and 75 rushing yards with a touchdown. The next game Harvin grabbed 11 passes for 121 yards and a score in a 30-24 win over Mississippi. Furthermore in the Gators' first loss of the season to Auburn, Harvin recorded 119 yards on 7 receptions. The game marked his third-consecutive 100-yard receiving game. The next three weeks resulted in modest numbers from Harvin, but he did go over 100 yards in either rushing or receiving. Then on November 3, Harvin had his best game of the season statistically, in a victory over Vanderbilt, 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. The Gators took their 9-3 record to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, where they lost to University of Michigan, 35-41. Harvin put up monster numbers as he had 9 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for 165 yards and a score. Harvin finished the season with 858 yards on 59 receptions for 4 touchdowns. He also totaled 764 yards on 83 rushes for 6 touchdowns for a total of 1,622 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns, becoming the first receiver in University of Florida history to have over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in his career. Harvin earned All-SEC first team honors as an all-purpose player, while earning second team honors as a receiver. Harvin was named to the pre-season All-American list and the Heisman Trophy contenders list in March 2008.

Junior season
In the spring prior to his junior season, Harvin underwent arthroscopic heel surgery on his right heel to address the underlying issue that caused injury trouble throughout his career (achilles tendonitis, knee tendonitis, hip flexor, hamstring, quad issues) dating back to his high school days in Virginia Beach. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina of Charlotte, NC. Due to the invasive nature of the procedure, the recovery time was very long and associated with significant risk. Harvin used the recovery to his advantage though, limited to on field practice and running he focused his efforts on getting stronger, increasing his weight to 205 pounds and notably increasing his bench press max to 405 pounds. In light of his increased strength and past production from the running back position, Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer officially announced his position had changed from wide receiver to running back, prior to the start of the season. However, 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.

Initially expected to be ready for the season opener against Hawaii, team doctors and the coaches felt he was not fully ready to play, and kept him out of the game. He made his season debut in the much anticipated game against Miami, seeing limited action he amassed 39 total yards on 1 reception and 5 carries, notably scoring a rushing touchdown. After that game Harvin was given the green light to play without concern for the surgically repaired heel. Later in the season, Harvin suffered another ankle injury in a game against FSU on November 20. Harvin appeared to have suffered a high ankle sprain from a tackle and hobbled off the field, and did not return. This injury prevented him from playing in the SEC Championship on December 6 in which the Gators defeated Alabama 31-20. Going into the 2009 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 9 touchdowns. In the 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.

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 (against Vanderbilt, 2007).

NFL Combine
In February 2009, Harvin tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine. Some teams reportedly removed him from their potential draft rosters.

Minnesota Vikings
On April 25, 2009, Percy Harvin was selected by the Minnesota Vikings 22nd overall in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, the fourth wide receiver selected in the draft. Following extended contract negotiations, on August 3, 2009, Harvin signed a five-year contract worth up to $14.5 million, including $8.7 million in guarantees. Harvin wears jersey #12 for the Minnesota Vikings, most recently worn by quarterback Gus Frerotte.

Harvin caught his first touchdown pass September 13, 2009 in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns, thrown by quarterback Brett Favre. Harvin ended his first career NFL game with a total of 36 yards receiving and 22 yards rushing. On September 27, Harvin had a 101 yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers. With this touchdown, Harvin became the first Viking ever to score a touchdown in each of his first three games as well as the second youngest player to return a kickoff for a touchdown in NFL history (21 years, 122 days). On October 25, 2009, Harvin had an 88 yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the regular season with 60 receptions and eight touchdowns, two on kickoff returns, and a rushing average of nine yards per carry.

On January 4, Harvin was a late addition to the 2010 Pro Bowl roster as a kick returner. Harvin fills a spot created because the Philadelphia Eagles's DeSean Jackson made the NFC team at two positions - wide receiver and kick returner. On January 6, the Associated Press announced Harvin's selection as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Harvin is the sixth Vikings player to win the award, joining Adrian Peterson (2007), Randy Moss (1998), Sammy White (1976), Chuck Foreman (1973) and Paul Flatley (1963). On January 14, he was named Sporting News' 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year. Harvin later declined the offer to play in the Pro Bowl.

Despite a stellar first year in the NFL, Harvin suffered a string of illnesses. On April 30, 2009, while en route to 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. Additionally, Harvin did not participate in the 2009 NFL Rookie Symposium due to illness and also missed the team's first three practices and first two days of training camp at Minnesota State University Mankato. Further, Harvin did not play in the Vikings 30-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in week 14 due to migraine headaches, which also prevented him from practicing the following week. However, he did play in the Vikings week 16 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears, but missed two postseason practices before the New Orleans Saints playoff game, due to migraine headaches. On August 19, 2010, he passed out during practice due to a migraine attack and was taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. He was discharged from the hospital the following day but remained on the sidelines in practice.

On September 11, 2011 in the season opener against the San Diego Chargers, Harvin returned a 103 yard game opening kick off for a touchdown, setting a Vikings franchise record of 4 career kick off return touchdowns. On November 27, 2011 in a Vikings game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, Harvin returned a kickoff for 104 yards, to the Falcons 3 yard line. This is the longest non-scoring play in NFL history. However, the Vikings failed to score on the next 4 plays. Harvin led the Vikings with 87 receptions for the 2011 season. He scored 6 touchdowns and was active for all 16 games for the first time in his three year NFL career.

Postseason
Source: NFL.com

NFL records

 * Longest non-scoring kickoff return: 104 (2011 vs Atlanta Falcons)

Vikings franchise records

 * Most career Kickoff return touchdowns (5)
 * Longest career kick return: 105 (September, 30th 2012)
 * Most All-purpose yards in a single season: 2,081 (2009)
 * Most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season: 2 (2009)

Awards and honors

 * 2000 National Champion (Midget Age Group) 4x100m relay team
 * 2001 National Champion Pop Warner Football team
 * 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 U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant
 * 2006 SEC College Freshman of the year
 * 2006 SEC Championship Game MVP
 * 2006 NCAA National Champion (Division I) Football team
 * 2007 All-SEC second team (receiver) by league's coaches
 * 2008 Rivals.com and AFCA first team All-American (all-purpose)
 * 2009 Sporting News first-team All-American (receiver)
 * 2009 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week Winner (Week 7)
 * 2009 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week Winner (Week 8)
 * 2010 Pro Bowl Selection (Kick Returner)
 * 2009 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year (2009/10 Season)
 * 2009 Sporting News All-Pro Team
 * 2009 Sporting News NFL Rookie of the Year
 * 2009 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year