Former Evansville star linebacker is back on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot

EVANSVILLE — Maybe the third time will be the charm for Kevin Hardy.

The Harrison High School graduate who went on to become an All-American at the University of Illinois and an All-Pro linebacker in the NFL is back on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the third time. Candidates for the Class of 2024 were announced Monday by the National Football Foundation.

Hardy, 49, previously was on the ballot for the 2019 and 2023 classes.

As a senior at Illinois, he was the 1995 Butkus Award winner, annually given to the top linebacker in the nation — it’s fittingly named after another Illini standout. Hardy was a consensus First-Team All-American that year with 105 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and three interceptions. He still ranks second all-time among Illinois linebackers in games started (45) and fifth in sacks (18).

Hardy later spent nine seasons in the NFL, earning first-team All-Pro honors with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1999.

Born in Washington, D.C., Hardy attended elementary school in the greater Chicago area until his family moved to Evansville as he was entering sixth grade. That’s when he first started playing tackle football while attending Plaza Park.

He graduated from Harrison in 1991 with 11 varsity letters in football, basketball and track and field. He was the 1990 Evansville Player of the Year in football as a senior, also earning first-team All-State honors for leading the Warriors to a Class 5A sectional championship.

Hardy’s Illinois teammate Simeon Rice, also a linebacker, joins him on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot. They were selected with back-to-back picks in the 1996 NFL Draft: Hardy went No. 2 to Jacksonville and Rice No. 3 to Arizona.

This year's ballot features 78 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks. The 2024 class will be announced in early 2024 and they’ll be officially inducted on Dec 10, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Kevin Hardy

High school: Harrison

College: University of Illinois. Consensus All-American and 1995 Butkus Award winner. Two-time first team All-Big Ten selection, led Illini to two bowls.

NFL: No. 2 pick in 1996 NFL draft by Jacksonville Jaguars. Played for Jaguars from 1996-2001; Dallas Cowboys in 2002, Cincinnati Bengals 2003-04. First team All-Pro 1999, Pro Bowl 1999, NFL All-Rookie Team in '96.