University of Massachusets Athletics
DeShon Hardy: A Triple Threat
October 15, 2001 | Football
By MATT ABT
The Maroon & White
In 1999, one year after the University of Massachusetts took home the Division I-AA National Championship, the Minutemen were led by a strong-armed quarterback named Todd Bankhead. Bankhead, the most prolific passer in UMass history, threw for 3,099 yards in 1999 and earned second team All Atlantic 10 honors for the second consecutive year. But in one of the most crucial games of the season, a 30-23 overtime win at Furman in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs, a sophomore named DeShon Hardy lined up under center. The Furman defense, clearly disoriented by the switch, went crazy trying to get into the correct defensive scheme. Why? Because that wasn't just any substitute quarterback back there...
Meet DeShon Hardy, the Minutemen's leading wide receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner. Part Randy Moss, with blazing speed and stickum-like hands, part Marshall Faulk, with the versatility to make tacklers miss after the catch, and part Spike Lee, constantly running his mouth in an attempt to take the opposing team out of its game, this six-foot, 190-pound senior has been called upon to help lead the Minutemen back to the ranks of college football's elite.
You would think the pressure to play three positions and lead a team would be tough, but tough for Hardy was growing up in Neptune, N.J., a town about an hour south of Newark.
"Growing up was hard. I'm one of the only people that made it out of the town and off to college," said Hardy, who has dedicated his college career to his late grandmother. "I just tried to make my mom and my family proud."
Hardy was somewhat of a football vagabond, making the switch between two different Pop Warner teams and two different high schools, so, as he tells it, "the whole state really knew who I was." And though nobody knew exactly how he would do it each particular night-would he lead the team to victory as QB or DB?-everybody knew what he was going to do once he stepped on the field-win.
Hardy led his Neptune Senior High School team to the New Jersey Class 4 state championship as a senior, adding to the title his team won during his freshman year. He started for three years at quarterback and defensive back, leading his team to a 22-1 record in games in which he started under center. He earned first team All-State honors on offense and defense in his senior year, and garnered All-America honors from Prep Star magazine. He was recruited by Big East powerhouse Syracuse and was ready to go there and play cornerback, but was denied because of a failure to meet NCAA academic requirements.
UMass head coach Mark Whipple and his staff had seen video of Hardy and welcomed the big-time playmaker to Amherst. Though Hardy didn't play receiver in high school-the only passes he caught were the ones that he intercepted-Whipple knew that with his physical attributes Hardy could play virtually anywhere on the field. He saw the hands, the blazing speed, and the elusiveness in the open field that are valuable skills for a player at any position.
"We knew that he was really talented," said Whipple, who studied hours of videotape before recruiting him. "He is a great athlete, he has good size, and he can run and make people miss."
Realizing that he was too short to play quarterback at the next level, Hardy campaigned to play both wide receiver and cornerback. "I told coach when he came down to my school that I wanted to play on both sides of the ball," said Hardy. "Coach laughed at me and said I could play anywhere I wanted."
After sitting out the 1998 season under NCAA academic requirements, Hardy began his UMass career in 1999 as the Minutemen's' primary punt returner. He returned 34 punts for 261 yards (7.7 avg.), which led the team and ranked eighth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He tied a UMass single-game record with eight punt returns for 100 yards in the Minutemen's 77-0 drubbing of Northeastern. He also showed promise as a receiver, catching three balls for 65 yards (21.7 avg.) and a touchdown in the Minutemen's victory over rival Connecticut. Hardy also served as the scout team quarterback, imitating such shifty signal callers as Georgia Southern's Greg Hill (who the Minutemen held to six yards passing in their 1999 quarterfinal loss to the eventual NCAA champs) and Richmond's Sean Gustus.
"It was fun working with the coaches and throwing the ball," said Hardy, who is also a member of the hands team, whose primary job is to return onside kicks. "I could run the whole scout team-it was like I had my own team again."
Last season Hardy emerged as one of the most versatile players in the Atlantic 10. He played in every game and moved into the starting lineup for the season's final five contests. He returned 15 punts for 169 yards, two kickoffs for 38 yards, and even rushed three times for 38 yards. When wide receiver Adrian Zullo went down five games into the season, Hardy was asked to step up and he responded. He tied Jeff Howard for the team lead with 27 receptions for 370 yards (13.7 avg.) and one touchdown, and ranked third on the team with 612 all-purpose yards.
This year the Minutemen are trying to maximize Hardy's talents by incorporating plays into the offense specifically designed to utilize his versatility.
"We don't know when we're going to break them out yet, but we've got a couple special plays so they can utilize me more," says Hardy.
Do not be surprised if you see number nine line up at wide receiver, run in motion, and suddenly have the ball in his hands looking downfield for an open man. Or you may see him lineup under center, utilizing his skills as a former all-state quarterback, and run an option play around the right side. But unlike Furman was in 1999, the teams in the Atlantic 10 will not be surprised, says Hardy.
"All the teams know, so any time they see me back there they know what's going to happen," he said.
Hardy spent last summer in Amherst working with strength and conditioning coach Bob Otrando to strengthen his surgically repaired left shoulder. Coach "O" had Hardy and teammate Jeremy Robinson on a steady diet of running and lifting to improve their endurance, strength and speed.
"Coach O really got me much stronger and faster," said Hardy, who ran a blistering 4.43 40-yard dash over the summer. "Jeremy and I worked really hard trying to get ready for the season because we're going to be the leaders this year."
Hardy was held to two receptions for 22 yards in the season opener against William and Mary, but bounced back with four receptions for 90 yards against Marshall, including a 22-yard touchdown catch, the Minutemen's first passing touchdown of the season. It was the type of catch that has earned him a league-wide reputation as a big-play receiver.
"I've always made big plays," said Hardy. "I want to make catches that people will rewind and rewind and rewind and talk about all the time."
People were talking about Hardy after the season's third game against Delaware, when he caught 10 balls for a career-high 135 yards. The 10 catches were the second highest single game total in UMass history, one behind four current and former Minutemen who grabbed 11 balls in a game, including Adrian Zullo.
Coach Whipple is happy with what he's seen so far from Hardy, who ranks among the conference leaders in receiving yards per game, all purpose yards per game and punt return average.
"He has played well this season," said Whipple. "We always knew that he was very talented, and we think he's grown into one of the better players in our league."
When Hardy watches the NFL on Sunday he envisions himself running routes past Charles Woodson, the Oakland Raiders' all-pro defensive back. And he sees himself defending Moss, the Minnesota Vikings' all-world wideout.
But for inspiration Hardy looks to a former Minuteman, two-time All-American Marcel Shipp, who battled injuries throughout his career and is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
"Marcel had a lot of people that doubted him and he had confidence in himself to get to the next level," said Hardy, who played alongside the former running back for one season. "He had injuries every day and he just worked through them. I had injuries as well and hopefully I'll be on the same path."
Hardy, though. has got three ways to get there.
The Maroon & White
In 1999, one year after the University of Massachusetts took home the Division I-AA National Championship, the Minutemen were led by a strong-armed quarterback named Todd Bankhead. Bankhead, the most prolific passer in UMass history, threw for 3,099 yards in 1999 and earned second team All Atlantic 10 honors for the second consecutive year. But in one of the most crucial games of the season, a 30-23 overtime win at Furman in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs, a sophomore named DeShon Hardy lined up under center. The Furman defense, clearly disoriented by the switch, went crazy trying to get into the correct defensive scheme. Why? Because that wasn't just any substitute quarterback back there...
Meet DeShon Hardy, the Minutemen's leading wide receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner. Part Randy Moss, with blazing speed and stickum-like hands, part Marshall Faulk, with the versatility to make tacklers miss after the catch, and part Spike Lee, constantly running his mouth in an attempt to take the opposing team out of its game, this six-foot, 190-pound senior has been called upon to help lead the Minutemen back to the ranks of college football's elite.
You would think the pressure to play three positions and lead a team would be tough, but tough for Hardy was growing up in Neptune, N.J., a town about an hour south of Newark.
"Growing up was hard. I'm one of the only people that made it out of the town and off to college," said Hardy, who has dedicated his college career to his late grandmother. "I just tried to make my mom and my family proud."
Hardy was somewhat of a football vagabond, making the switch between two different Pop Warner teams and two different high schools, so, as he tells it, "the whole state really knew who I was." And though nobody knew exactly how he would do it each particular night-would he lead the team to victory as QB or DB?-everybody knew what he was going to do once he stepped on the field-win.
Hardy led his Neptune Senior High School team to the New Jersey Class 4 state championship as a senior, adding to the title his team won during his freshman year. He started for three years at quarterback and defensive back, leading his team to a 22-1 record in games in which he started under center. He earned first team All-State honors on offense and defense in his senior year, and garnered All-America honors from Prep Star magazine. He was recruited by Big East powerhouse Syracuse and was ready to go there and play cornerback, but was denied because of a failure to meet NCAA academic requirements.
UMass head coach Mark Whipple and his staff had seen video of Hardy and welcomed the big-time playmaker to Amherst. Though Hardy didn't play receiver in high school-the only passes he caught were the ones that he intercepted-Whipple knew that with his physical attributes Hardy could play virtually anywhere on the field. He saw the hands, the blazing speed, and the elusiveness in the open field that are valuable skills for a player at any position.
"We knew that he was really talented," said Whipple, who studied hours of videotape before recruiting him. "He is a great athlete, he has good size, and he can run and make people miss."
Realizing that he was too short to play quarterback at the next level, Hardy campaigned to play both wide receiver and cornerback. "I told coach when he came down to my school that I wanted to play on both sides of the ball," said Hardy. "Coach laughed at me and said I could play anywhere I wanted."
After sitting out the 1998 season under NCAA academic requirements, Hardy began his UMass career in 1999 as the Minutemen's' primary punt returner. He returned 34 punts for 261 yards (7.7 avg.), which led the team and ranked eighth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He tied a UMass single-game record with eight punt returns for 100 yards in the Minutemen's 77-0 drubbing of Northeastern. He also showed promise as a receiver, catching three balls for 65 yards (21.7 avg.) and a touchdown in the Minutemen's victory over rival Connecticut. Hardy also served as the scout team quarterback, imitating such shifty signal callers as Georgia Southern's Greg Hill (who the Minutemen held to six yards passing in their 1999 quarterfinal loss to the eventual NCAA champs) and Richmond's Sean Gustus.
"It was fun working with the coaches and throwing the ball," said Hardy, who is also a member of the hands team, whose primary job is to return onside kicks. "I could run the whole scout team-it was like I had my own team again."
Last season Hardy emerged as one of the most versatile players in the Atlantic 10. He played in every game and moved into the starting lineup for the season's final five contests. He returned 15 punts for 169 yards, two kickoffs for 38 yards, and even rushed three times for 38 yards. When wide receiver Adrian Zullo went down five games into the season, Hardy was asked to step up and he responded. He tied Jeff Howard for the team lead with 27 receptions for 370 yards (13.7 avg.) and one touchdown, and ranked third on the team with 612 all-purpose yards.
This year the Minutemen are trying to maximize Hardy's talents by incorporating plays into the offense specifically designed to utilize his versatility.
"We don't know when we're going to break them out yet, but we've got a couple special plays so they can utilize me more," says Hardy.
Do not be surprised if you see number nine line up at wide receiver, run in motion, and suddenly have the ball in his hands looking downfield for an open man. Or you may see him lineup under center, utilizing his skills as a former all-state quarterback, and run an option play around the right side. But unlike Furman was in 1999, the teams in the Atlantic 10 will not be surprised, says Hardy.
"All the teams know, so any time they see me back there they know what's going to happen," he said.
Hardy spent last summer in Amherst working with strength and conditioning coach Bob Otrando to strengthen his surgically repaired left shoulder. Coach "O" had Hardy and teammate Jeremy Robinson on a steady diet of running and lifting to improve their endurance, strength and speed.
"Coach O really got me much stronger and faster," said Hardy, who ran a blistering 4.43 40-yard dash over the summer. "Jeremy and I worked really hard trying to get ready for the season because we're going to be the leaders this year."
Hardy was held to two receptions for 22 yards in the season opener against William and Mary, but bounced back with four receptions for 90 yards against Marshall, including a 22-yard touchdown catch, the Minutemen's first passing touchdown of the season. It was the type of catch that has earned him a league-wide reputation as a big-play receiver.
"I've always made big plays," said Hardy. "I want to make catches that people will rewind and rewind and rewind and talk about all the time."
People were talking about Hardy after the season's third game against Delaware, when he caught 10 balls for a career-high 135 yards. The 10 catches were the second highest single game total in UMass history, one behind four current and former Minutemen who grabbed 11 balls in a game, including Adrian Zullo.
Coach Whipple is happy with what he's seen so far from Hardy, who ranks among the conference leaders in receiving yards per game, all purpose yards per game and punt return average.
"He has played well this season," said Whipple. "We always knew that he was very talented, and we think he's grown into one of the better players in our league."
When Hardy watches the NFL on Sunday he envisions himself running routes past Charles Woodson, the Oakland Raiders' all-pro defensive back. And he sees himself defending Moss, the Minnesota Vikings' all-world wideout.
But for inspiration Hardy looks to a former Minuteman, two-time All-American Marcel Shipp, who battled injuries throughout his career and is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
"Marcel had a lot of people that doubted him and he had confidence in himself to get to the next level," said Hardy, who played alongside the former running back for one season. "He had injuries every day and he just worked through them. I had injuries as well and hopefully I'll be on the same path."
Hardy, though. has got three ways to get there.
Saturday, April 25
Tuesday, April 21
Thursday, April 16
Thursday, April 16