William Harper (17 August 1897 – 20 January 1982) was an English professional footballer who played as a right-back.
Harper was given a professional contract in December 1924, and went on to make his debut for Nelson on 18 March 1925 in the 1–2 defeat away at Lincoln City.
Harper made a total of six league appearances for Nelson in the 1924–25 season.
However, he was not retained at the end of the campaign and returned to non-League football with Lancashire Combination club Darwen.
This biographical article related to association football in England, about a defender born in the 1890s, is a stub.