Career
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956. Harpster played quarterback for the Carnegie Mellon University (then called "Carnegie Technical") from 1926 until 1928. The College Football Hall of Fame states that he was known as "one of the great Eastern quarterbacks of the late 1920s." In 1926, Carnegie Technical"s football team beat Knute Rockne"s Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The game was ranked the fourth-greatest upset in college football history by Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Harpster was one of 11 All-American football players to appear in the 1930 film "Maybe lieutenant"s Love".
Geneva
Harpster was the 15th head football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and he held that position for three seasons, from 1930 until 1932. His coaching record at Geneva was 22 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties.
Geneva College fans generally consider him among the best coaches in the history of the school. His teams were considered among the leading small college teams in the country at the time.
Carnegie Technical
In 1933, Harpster returned to Carnegie Technical and coached for four years where his teams produced a record of 12 wins, 20 losses, and 3 ties.
