Alvin Harper Alvin Craig Harper ( born July 6 , 1967 in Lake Wales , Florida ) is a former American football player in the National Football League . In the 1991 NFL Draft selected wide receiver Harper with the twelfth pick in the first round . Harper would play in Dallas for four years as the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII . Early years . At Frostproof High School , Harper was a standout football player , earning USA Today High School All - America n honors as a senior in 1986 . He also excelled in track and field , where he at one time held the Florida High School high jump record and won two state Class A high jump ing titles , as well as basketball where he averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game . He went onto the University of Tennessee , where he practiced football and track and field . He continued to excel in track and field , capturing the 1989 SEC Indoor High Jump Championship with a jump of 7 - 2½ . He also anchored the University of Tennessee 4x100 and 4x400 metres relays . In football he earned All - Southeastern Conference Freshman First Team honors in 1987 , and All - - Southeastern Conference first team honors in 1990 . He was also the MVP of the 1991 Hula Bowl , and finished his NCAA football career with 103 receptions for 1 , 547 yards and 16 touchdown s , which is a Volunteer career record he holds with Tim McGee . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft , in order to find a receiving partner for Michael Irvin . During his rookie year , he caught 20 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown , helping Dallas finish 11 - 5 , its first winning season since 1985 . In 1992 , he rushed once for 15 yards and caught 35 passes for 562 yards and four touchdown s . He probably had the signature play of his career during the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers , catching a slant route for 70 yards , setting up the Cowboys on the 10 - yard line and sealing the win . He also caught a 45 - yard touchdown from quarterback Troy Aikman during the 52 - 17 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII , after which he dunked the ball over the goal post crossbar . In 1993 , Harper established himself as one of the best deep threats in the NFL with a 21 . 6 yards per catch average , and a total of 36 receptions for 777 yards and five touchdown s . He again had a key play in the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers , with Troy Aikman knocked out of the game with a concussion , Dallas backup quarterback Bernie Kosar connected with Harper for a 42 yard touchdown . That year , Dallas returned to face the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII during which Aikman completed a 16 - yard pass to him to give the Cowboys a first - and - goal at the six early in the fourth quarter . That set up one - yard - run by running back Emmitt Smith and helped seal the Bills fate as Dallas won 30 - 13 . Harper ' s best year came in 1994 , when he led the league with a 24 . 9 yards - per - reception average , catching 33 passes for 821 yards and eight touchdown s . However , Dallas failed to three - peat , dropping out of Super Bowl contention with a 28 - 38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In 1995 , Harper signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers based on his big play ability and championship experience , and although he had a career high 46 catches his first season in Tampa , he was not able to live up to his free agent billing . He was released before the start of 1997 season . During his two years in Tampa he was slowed by injuries and played in only 25 games where he caught 65 passes for 922 yards and three touchdown s . Washington Redskins . In 1997 the Washington Redskins signed him , gambling that he could flourish again after being reunited with Norv Turner , but Harper played in 12 games in which he caught only two passes for 65 yards . The Redskins released Harper , before the season ended , after he complained about his playing time following Washington ' s 23 - 20 loss to the Saint Louis Rams . New Orleans Saints . The New Orleans Saints claimed the veteran receiver off waivers , but didn ' t play in any game . Dallas Cowboys . His final season in the NFL was in 1999 when he returned to play for his former team , the Dallas Cowboys , and played only two games that year . Harper finished his eight NFL seasons with 191 receptions for 3 , 473 yards and 21 touchdown s . He also rushed once for 15 yards , completed a pass for 46 yards , and recorded one interception on defense . XFL . In 2001 , Harper signed with the Memphis Maniax of the short - lived XFL ; he did not finish among the league ' s top ten receivers in any category . Coaching career . In 2005 , Harper was a volunteer wide receivers coach with NFL Europe team Rhein Fire .