Illini Legends, Lists & Lore: Kevin Hardy

On Monday, the most famous Illini football player ever to wear No. 51 turns 50.
Legendary Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy, who won the 1995 Butkus Award and was a consensus First Team All-American that season, will celebrate with sons Langston and Camden. Langston is a sophomore linebacker at Connecticut and Camden is a senior at Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville, Fla., who has committed to play football for Wake Forest.
Today, we review the Illini Hall of Famer’s career by the numbers:
1 Hardy was the first defensive rookie in Jacksonville Jaguars history to be a starter in his first NFL game. His late-game interception clinched the Jags’ 24-9 season-opening victory in 1996 against Pittsburgh.
2 He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft, chosen immediately after Southern California wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and ahead of future league Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden (fourth pick), Marvin Harrison (19th pick), Ray Lewis (26th pick), Brian Dawkins (61st pick), Terrell Owens (89th pick) and Zach Thomas (154th pick).
3 As a prep athlete at Harrison High School in Evansville, Ind., Hardy earned three letters in the sport of basketball, playing alongside future college stars Calbert Cheaney and Walter McCarty.
4 Hardy amassed 38 tackles for loss during his Illini career, fourth behind Simeon Rice (69), Moe Gardner (57) and Don Thorp (40).
5 In the Illini’s win against 21st-ranked Ohio State in 1992 — an 18-16 Illini victory at Columbus — Hardy helped Illinois beat the Buckeyes for a fifth consecutive time.
6 His first NFL contract, six years for $14.8 million, netted Hardy a $6 million signing bonus.
7 Included among 80 former players on the 2023 ballot, Hardy is attempting to become the seventh Illini player since Dick Butkus in 1983 to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
9 In nine NFL seasons — six with Jacksonville, one with Dallas and two with Cincinnati — Hardy totaled 742 tackles, 45 pass deflections, 431/2 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback sacks, 11 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and five interceptions.
10 Hardy finished his career ranked 10th on Illinois’ all-time tackles list with 326.
11 He was the 11th winner of the Butkus Award (1995), immediately following Illinois’ Dana Howard who won the prize in 1994.
Illini Birthdays
Sunday:
Dave Mazurek, baseball (43)
Monday:
Jim Wright, basketball (91)
Tuesday:
Jenna Smith, basketball
Wednesday: Mike Taliaferro, football (82)
Thursday:
Rich Erickson, football (77)
Friday:
Meghan Kolze Bargar, volleyball
Saturday: Mark Shapland, basketball (56)