Darryl Hardy

Darryl Hardy
No. 58, 54
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1968-11-22) November 22, 1968 (age 56)
Lincoln Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Princeton (Sharonville, Ohio)
College:Tennessee
NFL draft:1992 / round: 10 / pick: 270
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Darryl Gerrod Hardy (born November 22, 1968) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. He played college football at the University of Tennessee.

Early years

Hardy attended Princeton High School, where he played center on the offensive line as a freshman. The next year, he was moved to offensive tackle. As a senior, he was an All-state offensive guard (weighing 185 pounds). In his final game, he got the opportunity to start at outside linebacker, posting 15 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Tennessee to play linebacker.[1] He became a starter at outside linebacker as a sophomore and registered 20 tackles (fourth in school history) against the University of Alabama.

He finished his college career with 318 total tackles, 227 solo tackles (ninth in school history), 20 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 5 fumble recoveries, 5 forced fumbles and 5 blocked kicks.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Hardy was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the tenth round (270th overall) of the 1992 NFL draft.[2] On August 31, he was waived and signed to the practice squad.[3] He was released on August 23, 1993.[4]

Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL)

On April 7, 1994, he was signed by the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.[5] He was cut on July 4.[6]

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

In July 1994, he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. He was released on August 3.[7]

Arizona Cardinals

On August 27, 1994, he was waived and signed to the practice squad.[8] He was promoted to the active roster on December 20 and was declared inactive for the last game of the season.

He was waived On October 2, 1995.[9] He appeared in 5 games, tallying one defensive tackle and 2 special teams tackles.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On October 3, 1995, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys to improve the special teams units. He was a part of the team that won Super Bowl XXX, although he was deactivated for the game.[10] He was cut on August 20, 1996.

In 1996, he injured his left knee in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Raiders. He had arthroscopic surgery on August 2. He was cut on August 20.

He was signed in 1997 and appeared in 12 games.[11] He was released in December.

Seattle Seahawks

On December 10, 1997, he was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks.[12] He played on special teams in the final two games of the season. The next year, he failed to report to minicamp and told the Seahawks he was not sure if he wanted to continue playing football. He was released on June 10, 1998.[13]

References

  1. ^ Price, Austin (October 23, 2014). "VolReport - Chance on defense propelled Hardy". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Transactions". Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  4. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 24, 1993. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. April 8, 1994. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Transactions". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "Transactions". Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "Transactions". Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "Transactions". Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "Commissioner tells a tale of three cities". Gadsden Times. Associated Press. January 27, 1996. Retrieved January 29, 2018 – via Google News.
  11. ^ "1997 Dallas Cowboys Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Transactions". Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  13. ^ Sando, Mike (June 11, 1998). "Slow To Heal, Bennie Blades Released By Seahawks". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved January 29, 2018 – via Google News.