|
Football
Kevin Hardy to Attend Renaissance Celebration
Aug. 20, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics officials announced Wednesday that Fighting Illini great Kevin Hardy will return to Champaign-Urbana for the Illinois Renaissance Celebration Game against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6. The 1995 Butkus Award winner joins a long list of legendary Illinois players who will be on hand for the 2008 home opener, when fans will get their first look at the newly finished stadium. "I'm honored to be named one of the top 10 linebackers of all time at the University of Illinois, but I'm even more honored to be named alongside some of the best who ever played the game," Hardy said. "I'm excited to see the new Memorial Stadium and catch up with many of the great players who played in the original stadium." Hardy became Illinois' second Butkus Award winner in as many years when he took home the trophy in 1995, following Dana Howard's win in 1994. He was a consensus All-American in 1995 after racking up 105 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. A leader of the group of linebackers that cemented Illinois' reputation as "Linebacker U," Hardy ranks sixth in school history in TFLs and fifth in sacks. He also is tied for fifth in single-game solo tackles, racking up 13 stops against Michigan State on Oct. 14, 1995. Hardy was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, going one pick earlier than teammate Simeon Rice, and played nine years in the NFL. The Illinois Renaissance Celebration will be highlighted by the return of a multitude of former Fighting Illini players, with the list of 10 Greatest Illini in Memorial Stadium history at each position being honored during eight breaks throughout the game. The current team also will honor past greats by donning throwback uniforms modeled in the style of the Butkus era. Illinois will take on Eastern Illinois Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. The game will be nationally televised by the Big Ten Network.
|
