Charles Hardnett Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Charles Hardnett
Personal information

Born	(1938-09-13)September 13, 1938 Atlanta, Georgia
Nationality	American
Died	July 6, 2019(2019-07-06) (aged 80) Louisville, Kentucky
High school	Carver (Atlanta, Georgia)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College	Grambling State (1958–1962)
NBA Draft	1962 / Round: 3 / Pick: 19th overall
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
Pro career	1962–1968
Career history
1962–1965	Chicago Zephyrs / Baltimore Bullets
1964–1965	Grand Rapids Trackers
1965–1967	Harrisburg Patriots
1967–1968	Scranton Miners

Career NBA statistics
Points	1,198 (7.3 ppg)
Rebounds	930 (5.7 rpg)
Assists	103 (0.6 apg)

Charles "Charlie Red" Hardnett (born September 13, 1938 – died July 6, 2019) was an American basketball player. He played for three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Charlie was a tall player, standing 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) as a power forward.

He went to Carver High School in Atlanta. Later, he played college basketball for Grambling State University from 1959 to 1963. In 1962, he was named an All-American, which means he was one of the best college players in the country. He was also the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NAIA Basketball Tournament in 1961.

The St. Louis Hawks picked Charlie in the 1962 NBA draft. He played for the Chicago Zephyrs and Baltimore Bullets in the NBA from 1962 to 1965. After his playing career, Charlie Hardnett became a college basketball coach. He coached at Coppin State College and Morris Brown College.

High School Sports Star
College Basketball Success
Playing in the NBA
Coaching Career
Family Life
Honors and Awards
Images for kids
See also

High School Sports Star

Charlie Hardnett went to Carver High School in Atlanta from 1955 to 1958. He was a very active student and athlete. Charlie played three different sports: basketball, football, and baseball.

He earned many awards for his skills in sports and for his schoolwork. Charlie was the only male athlete in his graduating class to go on to college. Here are some of his achievements from high school:

All-City in Football in 1957 and 1958.
All-City in Basketball in 1957 and 1958.
All-State in Basketball in 1958.
State Tournament MVP in 1958.
Named to the Black High School All-American Team in 1958.
He was on the baseball team for three years.
Charlie was the President of the student body in his senior year (1958).
He also won the "Most Improved Student" award in 1958.
He earned a four-year scholarship to Grambling State University.

College Basketball Success

Charlie Hardnett started at Grambling State University in 1958. He quickly became a star player. His coach was Fred Hobdy, who coached at Grambling for 30 years. Charlie played alongside other great players, like Willis Reed.

During his time at Grambling, Charlie achieved many honors:

1958–1959

He was a starter in his first year.
He led the team in getting rebounds.

1959–1960

He was named MVP at the Georgia Invitational Tournament.
He made the NAIA All-American Team.
He was chosen for the NAIA All-Stars team. This team played in the 1960 Olympic Trials.
They even beat Ohio State, who were the 1960 NCAA Champions.
He was named First Team All-SWAC.

1960–1961

He was again named NAIA All-American.
He was the NAIA Tournament MVP.
He made the NAIA All-Tournament Team.
He won the Basketball Player of the Year award in Atlanta.
He was on the Chuck Taylor All-American Second Team. He was the only player from a small college chosen.
He was First Team All-SWAC.
His team won the NAIA Basketball Championship. This was Grambling's only national championship.

1961–62

He was named to the NAIA All-American Team again.
He was on the Chuck Taylor All-American First Team. Again, he was the only small college player chosen.
He was First Team All-SWAC.

Charlie scored over 2,000 points and got over 2,000 rebounds in his college career. His 16.9 rebounds per game is still the best at Grambling. He was the first African-American player from Georgia drafted by the NBA. He was also only the second player from Grambling to be drafted. In 1973, Charlie was added to the NAIA Hall of Fame.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was part of the NAIA 75th Anniversary Team. He was also inducted into the Coppin State University Hall of Fame in 2015. The same year, he joined the Carver High School Hall of Fame.

Playing in the NBA

Members of the 1963–64 Baltimore Bullets. From left to right: Rod Thorn, Charles Hardnett, Walt Bellamy, Gus Johnson and Terry Dischinger.

Charlie Hardnett started his professional basketball journey when the St. Louis Hawks drafted him in 1962. He played for the Chicago Zephyrs and the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA. After his time in the NBA, Charlie played in the CBA Eastern League. He played three more years for the Harrisburg Patriots and the Scranton Miners.

Coaching Career

Charles Hardnett as a coach.

After a successful playing career, Charlie Hardnett became a coach. He was the Head Basketball Coach at Coppin State in Baltimore. He also coached at Morris Brown College in Atlanta.

At Morris Brown College, he had many roles. He was the Head Basketball Coach, Athletic Director, Head Baseball Coach, and Head Golf Coach. He coached for 12 years and had a good record of 160 wins and 150 losses.

Some highlights from his coaching career include:

Winning 2 Regular Season Championships in 1972 and 1973.
Winning 1 Conference Tournament Championship in 1974.
Taking Coppin State to the NAIA District 19 Playoffs twice.
He coached one player who was drafted by the NBA.
Seven of his players made All-Conference Teams.
Three players made All-Tournament Teams.
He was named Coach of the Year twice.
He was named Atlanta University Coach of the Year in 1980.

Family Life

Charles Hardnett was married to Bernice Hardnett. They lived in Louisville, Kentucky. They had three children: Dana, Charles R., and Derek. He and his wife also had several grandchildren: Daveon, Wendy, William, Derek, Jeremy, Erin, and Charles Jr. (CJ).

Charlie Hardnett passed away on July 6, 2019.

Honors and Awards

In 1973, Charlie Hardnett was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame as an athlete.
In 2009, he was inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame. This was at their first induction ceremony on July 18, 2009.
In 2012, he was named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary Team.
In 2015, Charlie Hardnett was inducted into the Coppin State University Hall of Fame.
Also in 2015, he was inducted into the Carver High School Hall of Fame.