Harder, "Pat" (Marlin M.)
Football
b. May 6, 1922, Milwaukee, WI
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Harder was a very versatile player, a hard-running fullback, powerful blocker, fine pass receiver, and excellent kicker who also played defensive linebacker at times. A starter at the University of Wisconsin as a sophomore in 1942, Harder was in military service from 1943 until 1945.
After World War II ended, Harder elected to play pro football with the NFL's Chicago Cardinals. He was the first player in history to score more than 100 points three seasons in a row, leading the league with 102 in 1947, 110 in 1948, and 102 in 1949. The Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 to win the 1947 NFL championship, with Harder kicking 4 extra points.
Harder was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1951. In Detroit's 31-21 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the 1952 National Conference championship game, he scored 21 points on 2 touchdowns, 1 field goal, and 4 conversions.
He retired after the 1953 season and served as an NFL official from 1965 to 1982. In his 8 seasons, Harder rushed 740 times for 3,016 yards, a 4.1 average, and 33 touchdowns; caught 92 passes for 864 yards and 5 touchdowns; kicked 35 field goals in 69 attempts; and made 198 of 204 conversion attempts for a total of 531 points. He was named All-Pro fullback from 1947 through 1949.