Mike Harden

Michael Harden (born February 16, 1959 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a former professional American football player who played safety from 1980 to 1990 for the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Raiders. Harden was selected by the Broncos in the 5th round of the 1980 NFL Draft. During his 11-year NFL career, he intercepted 38 passes for 663 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 14 fumble recoveries. On Special Teams, he returned 8 punts for 113 yards and a touchdown and returned 26 kickoffs for 414 yards.

Mike Harden was involved in one of the most jaw-shattering hits in NFL history. In a game during the 1988 season, Harden intercepted a ball thrown by Quarterback Dave Krieg. While running away from the Seattle players, Harden took a blindside hit from Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver Steve Largent. The hit was so hard that it caused Harden to fumble the ball, which was recovered by Largent. Largent later said in an interview that the hit was retaliation in part for an illegal hit that Harden gave Largent in another game earlier in the season that knocked out two of Largent's teeth. He was subsequently fined $5,000.