Bill Emper: Still His Hometown's Hero

"Hey, he's wearing No. 23!"

Watching my first Harvard football game, I couldn't believe my eyes. After years of watching Bill Emper intercept passes, swish the corner shot and turn over the double play as No. 22, the new number just didn't fit. To forget the number that had broken so many of my tackles in high school practice was impossible.

"I never really thought wearing No. 22 was very important," the junior defensive back told me yesterday, reminiscing about the old days at Nether Providence High School. "If they hadn't given it to me all through high school, I wouldn't have gone out and bought a jersey and glued the numbers on."

Although we both know of the football captain-elect's achievements in his youth, modesty makes him reluctant to discuss his athletic career.

But Bill's athletic prowess is famous back home in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. In fifth grade, Bill played defensive back and halfback on what became the first of his many championship teams, the 115-lb. Terriers. The next year the Terriers won the championship again, undefeated and unscored upon. People began to speculate about his school career.

In 1968 Bill made the Little Quakers, a team of outstanding Philadelphia junior high gridders. "That's when I got interested in defensive back, and I developed some techniques. When I went up to the high school varsity, I knew the techniques already."

People in Wallingford still remember well his sophomore year in high school. With Bill starting at cornerback, the team was undefeated and untied. He was an honorable mention all-county selection, unheard of for a sophomore in a county that has produced the Rams' John Cappaletti, the Oilers' Billy Johnson, and several other outstanding professionals.

Bill finished his Nether Providence High School career as an honorable mention all-state player. Outstanding on offense as well, his 98-yd. run from scrimmage should be a school record for a long time.

Although Bill Emper became a household name in Nether Providence, colleges did not recruit him heavily. Neither a class rank of six nor interception records attracted the big schools to the little cornerback. "Only one school that could give scholarships approached me," he says. "I guess they thought I was too small."

Running Scared

Bill really is small. At 5 ft. 10 in. and 175 lbs., he does not tower over his opponents. But he feels his biggest drawback is speed. "I guess I do about a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash," he says, "but only when I'm scared."

Fortunately, my brother convinced Bill to apply to Harvard at a New Year's Eve party. Bill wanted a school with a strong academic program, but the Harvard name was scary.

"I didn't know what kind of guys were coming here," he says. "I didn't want to have to study on weekends, and I haven't let that happen."

Bill found the best combination of academics and athletics for him at Harvard. Despite my suspicions, he says he never really considered playing big time football. "When I see those guys practicing twice a day in the spring, I'm glad I'm here," he says.

Sophomore year found the high school hero on Harvard's kickoff squad. But he did start three games, and was awarded the game ball for his two interceptions in the Columbia game. A New York Times picture of Bill tackling Columbia quarterback Carl Rios circulated throughout Wallingford. The speculations began again.

Shutting Down

The 1975 season saw Bill intercept four passes, tying Jon Judge for the team lead. He shut off Brown's Bob Farnham and Yale's Gary Fencik, both nationally ranked receivers, in crucial Ivy League contests. But he was still surprised when he was elected captain of the 1976 Harvard football team.

"We should be really good next year," Bill says. "I'd say we have to fill in the offensive line and the defensive backfield. But we have a lot of talent, a lot of good guys coming up. I think it's realistic to say we could go undefeated."

Professional football? "They don't let 5-ft. 10-in. bowlegged cornerbacks in the pros," he laughs. "Maybe if I was faster, I'd consider it."

Bill plans to attend medical school. The Nether Providence fans wish Bill Emper could continue his football career. Even if he had to wear No. 23.