Tide’s Harper plays
through tragedyThe Alabama safety's aunt was
shot and killed last September
Alabama sophomore strong safety Roman Harper has played in pain most of the past two seasons. It's not of the physical variety, but the emotional kind, the kind that can be a lot harder to take.
Hawaii vs. Alabama
When: Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Where: Aloha Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
Tickets: $33 sideline, $27 south end zone, $22 north end zone (adult), $17 north end zone (students/seniors, age 4-high school), UH students free (super rooter only). Available at Aloha Stadium, Stan Sheriff Center, UH Campus Center and Windward Community College's OCET Office. Or call 800-944-2697 or etickethawaii.com on the Internet.
Harper and his Crimson Tide (4-8) teammates arrived here yesterday for their season-ending game Saturday against Hawaii (7-4). They practiced last night at Aloha Stadium.
Harper led Alabama with eight tackles in the Tide's 21-16 victory here last year, and he is second on the team with 108 stops this year, including 76 solos, good for second in the SEC.
He's played well for most of two seasons while having to deal with a family tragedy that's been in the national news.
On Sept. 21, 2002, Harper's aunt, Claudine Parker, was shot and killed while working at a Montgomery, Ala., liquor store that was being robbed. John Allen Muhammad and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo have been charged with capital murder in the case. On Monday, Muhammad was given a death sentence for his role in the sniper killings last year in the Washington, D.C., area.
"That's what a lot of people in the family were wishing for and hoping for, and now that we've got that, it''ll add a lot of closure, especially to my mom -- who was very close to her sister," Harper told the Birmingham Post-Herald. "It really gives justice and it's what they deserve."
Ma'afala on the mend: UH backup sophomore defensive tackle Abu Ma'afala missed practice yesterday with a sprained shoulder, but defensive line coach Vantz Singletary said he was medically cleared to practice today.
"It depends what he does (today) in practice," Singletary said when asked if Ma'afala will play Saturday.
Junior receiver Chad Owens sat out with foot pain, but said he expected to practice today and play in the game.
Live TV: Saturday's game will be shown live locally on ESPN at 2:45 p.m., regardless of whether it is sold out, an Oceanic Time Warner spokesperson said yesterday.
As of yesterday, close to 41,000 tickets (Aloha Stadium's capacity is 50,000) had been distributed by the end of the day.
More parking: Ford Island will be available for public parking Saturday beginning at 11:45 a.m., in addition to the regular stadium lot (opens at 11:15 a.m.), Kam Drive-In (12:30 p.m.), Leeward Community College (11:15 a.m.) and Radford High School (11:15 a.m.).
The parking charge is $5 for all locations except Leeward, which is free but has a $2 charge for shuttle service.
Clarification: Frank Gansz Sr., a former NFL special teams coach whose career highlights include serving on the staff of the 1999 Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, is the guest speaker at the Na Koa awards banquet for UH football on Dec. 7.
Yesterday's Star-Bulletin, using information from a news release, mistakenly indicated that Frank Gansz Jr., the current special teams coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, would be the speaker.
For information on the banquet, call Ben Yee at 734-6194 or 542-8912.
