I read that a former Indiana football player was found dead in a river. The weather now in June is warm across the country, school is out and kids and adults are playing outdoors. Accidents happen. Many famous and unknown people have died in recreational accidents.
What type of incident was this? Would I know who this player was? Was he a walk-on guy who never got much playing time and never even had a big play for a major college football program that has had moments of glory but never achieved true championship status?
Who had died so prematurely and tragically? Was he older? Had he played for my hometown IU squad before I was born?
No. Oh no. It was an elite player. One of the best.
James Hardy.
That guy. He had some tough moments in life; he appeared to have a tough death.
James had originally played for the Indiana basketball team under former Coach Mike Davis just 3 seasons removed from the Hurry'n Hoosiers competing for the NCAA national basketball championship in 2002. James had awesome athletic credentials. 6'7", strong, fast, elite.
A native Hoosier of Fort Wayne, breeding ground of many Indiana athletes, James became one of the best receivers in IU history, outpacing all others in receiving yards in three years, and going pro early.
He did not have a great professional career, but he went farther than most who put on cleats in college.
I don't know if he saved his money well, but reading about him later I found he had planned on doing some acting and modeling in the entertainment industry after the football days.
He had had some domestic problems when still a student athlete, and apparently he had a drug problem for years, which may have lead to his untimely death.
Alas, IU athletes. Football players. There is always a range of imperfect people who play these high level high attention sports.
Indiana has always had an uphill battle when it comes to the gridiron. Not blessed and endowed with the history-rich traditions of Michigan or Ohio State, or dozens of other large schools across the Midwest and the rest of the country, us Indiana football long suffering fans have put up with a lot of futility over the years. There have been some good seasons, some great upsets.
Many times when we think we have a winning player or team, something comes up to spoil those hopes. Domestic violence issues. Drug charges. Underage drinking. Injuries. Academic ineligibility. Transfers to other schools or de-commiting from the program. Coaches who choose another job for a bigger contract, coaches who die of brain cancer, coaches who are released for not helping their injured players enough.
Indiana has seen it all. And that is off the field of play.
In between the grid irons? Whew! Do you have a couple of days?
Of course, the relationship of the caliber and tenure of coaches and players off the field has a direct correlation to what happens on the field, game day. Which affects the crowds, which affects revenues, which affects overall morale and success. Or many years of failure and frustration.
Which brings us back to James Hardy. The best we have had? Not really, there have been better, maybe not visible on the score sheet, but IU has had better receivers in the college games and moving on to the pros.
But hard to find one as talented. And as troubled.
James Hardy, symbolic harbinger of the bittersweet sport of Indiana college football.
So much promise, so much unreached potential and accomplishment.
Mr. Hardy and family and IU football community: may this young 31 year-old former star rest in peace. May he be remembered for his good impact on those he knew, loved, and represented. And may the program he flourished under find a way to succeed, to get over the hump of being the hard luck loser on days when Indiana football could be able to succeed and bring some joy to us longtime fans.
Life is not easy, life is not fair. But life does have a way of giving back to those who put forth effort, passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Indiana will get there, despite the travails. Watch out powerhouses and perennial winners: the Hoosiers are going to get you when you think that its teams are destined to lose. Triumphs still await.
And James is hopefully discovering this now, above. God bless you. May He bless our team, and your memories with it. Thanks for giving us a few great moments of your life, for the underdog.
Win or lose, we choose to overcome.
What type of incident was this? Would I know who this player was? Was he a walk-on guy who never got much playing time and never even had a big play for a major college football program that has had moments of glory but never achieved true championship status?
Who had died so prematurely and tragically? Was he older? Had he played for my hometown IU squad before I was born?
No. Oh no. It was an elite player. One of the best.
James Hardy.
That guy. He had some tough moments in life; he appeared to have a tough death.
James had originally played for the Indiana basketball team under former Coach Mike Davis just 3 seasons removed from the Hurry'n Hoosiers competing for the NCAA national basketball championship in 2002. James had awesome athletic credentials. 6'7", strong, fast, elite.
A native Hoosier of Fort Wayne, breeding ground of many Indiana athletes, James became one of the best receivers in IU history, outpacing all others in receiving yards in three years, and going pro early.
He did not have a great professional career, but he went farther than most who put on cleats in college.
I don't know if he saved his money well, but reading about him later I found he had planned on doing some acting and modeling in the entertainment industry after the football days.
He had had some domestic problems when still a student athlete, and apparently he had a drug problem for years, which may have lead to his untimely death.
Alas, IU athletes. Football players. There is always a range of imperfect people who play these high level high attention sports.
Indiana has always had an uphill battle when it comes to the gridiron. Not blessed and endowed with the history-rich traditions of Michigan or Ohio State, or dozens of other large schools across the Midwest and the rest of the country, us Indiana football long suffering fans have put up with a lot of futility over the years. There have been some good seasons, some great upsets.
Many times when we think we have a winning player or team, something comes up to spoil those hopes. Domestic violence issues. Drug charges. Underage drinking. Injuries. Academic ineligibility. Transfers to other schools or de-commiting from the program. Coaches who choose another job for a bigger contract, coaches who die of brain cancer, coaches who are released for not helping their injured players enough.
Indiana has seen it all. And that is off the field of play.
In between the grid irons? Whew! Do you have a couple of days?
Of course, the relationship of the caliber and tenure of coaches and players off the field has a direct correlation to what happens on the field, game day. Which affects the crowds, which affects revenues, which affects overall morale and success. Or many years of failure and frustration.
Which brings us back to James Hardy. The best we have had? Not really, there have been better, maybe not visible on the score sheet, but IU has had better receivers in the college games and moving on to the pros.
But hard to find one as talented. And as troubled.
James Hardy, symbolic harbinger of the bittersweet sport of Indiana college football.
So much promise, so much unreached potential and accomplishment.
Mr. Hardy and family and IU football community: may this young 31 year-old former star rest in peace. May he be remembered for his good impact on those he knew, loved, and represented. And may the program he flourished under find a way to succeed, to get over the hump of being the hard luck loser on days when Indiana football could be able to succeed and bring some joy to us longtime fans.
Life is not easy, life is not fair. But life does have a way of giving back to those who put forth effort, passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Indiana will get there, despite the travails. Watch out powerhouses and perennial winners: the Hoosiers are going to get you when you think that its teams are destined to lose. Triumphs still await.
And James is hopefully discovering this now, above. God bless you. May He bless our team, and your memories with it. Thanks for giving us a few great moments of your life, for the underdog.
Win or lose, we choose to overcome.
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