Notre Dame All-American, three-sport athlete Kevin Hardy passes away
Notre Dame has had several talented multi-sport student-athletes through the years. Look no further than current freshman Jordan Faison, a key scorer for a Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team in search of back-to-back national titles and one of the best wide receivers on the football roster.
Long before Faison netted 18 goals in 13 games heading into the NCAA Tournament or caught 19 passes for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns in seven games, though, Kevin Hardy was one of the best to ever play multiple sports at Notre Dame. He passed away in Northern California at the age of 78 on Monday, per a university press release.
Hardy was the first Notre Dame student-athlete in 19 years to earn a monogram in three sports. He was a defensive tackle for the Fighting Irish football team and helped ND win a national title in 1966. He was also a role player on the men’s basketball team and started at right field for the baseball team. He led the Irish with a .398 batting average in 1967.
Freshmen were ineligible to play for the varsity football team in 1972 but Hardy was awarded an extra year of eligibility because of a back injury, so Hardy lettered for four seasons. In the first of those, as a sophomore in 1964, Hardy had 38 tackles and two blocked kicks on special teams. He broke out in Notre Dame’s run to the 1966 national title with 79 tackles and four pass breakups. He earned First Team All-America honors for his production.
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In his extra season because of the injury, Hardy had 33 tackles in 1967. He parlayed his productive career into a first-round NFL Draft selection. The New Orleans Saints picked him with seventh overall in 1968. Hardy was immediately moved to the San Francisco 49ers for compensation, so he never suited up for the Saints. He spent his professional career with the Niners, Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers.
Per ProFootballReference, Hardy appeared in 45 games with 12 starts in his four-year career. He was listed at 6-5, 276 pounds. Perhaps it was written in the stars for Hardy to spend most of his NFL career rostered on a pair of California clubs; he was born in Oakland on July 28, 1945. Thirty-one of his career appearances came playing for a team based in his native California.
Hardy is survived by his son, Danny, daughter, Shannon Kuhl, and sisters Mary and Barbara.
