Wayne Hardin facts for kids
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1926 Smackover, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 2017 (aged 91) Oreland, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | College of the Pacific |
| Playing career | |
| 1946–1948 | Pacific (CA) |
| Position(s) | Halfback, quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1949 | Pacific (CA) (SA) |
| 1950–1951 | Ceres HS (CA) |
| 1952 | Pacific (CA) (backfield) |
| 1953–1954 | Porterville JC |
| 1955–1958 | Navy (assistant) |
| 1959–1964 | Navy |
| 1966 | Philadelphia Bulldogs |
| 1970–1982 | Temple |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 118–74–5 (college) 9–8 (junior college) |
| Bowls | 1–2 |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2013 (profile) |
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Irving Wayne Hardin (born March 23, 1926 – died April 12, 2017) was a famous American football player and coach. He is best known for being the head football coach at the United States Naval Academy (Navy) and Temple University.
Coach Hardin had a great career record of 118 wins, 74 losses, and 5 ties in college football. He led the Navy team to two major bowl games: the 1961 Orange Bowl and the 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic. He also coached two players who won the Heisman Trophy, which is a very important award in college football. These players were Joe Bellino in 1960 and Roger Staubach in 1963.
After coaching at Navy, Hardin coached the Philadelphia Bulldogs in a league called the Continental Football League. He led them to win a championship in 1966. Because of his amazing coaching career, Wayne Hardin was added to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Contents
Wayne Hardin's Early Life and Playing Days
Wayne Hardin was born in Smackover, Arkansas. He grew up and went to high school in Stockton, California. He played college football at the College of the Pacific. There, he learned from famous coaches like Amos Alonzo Stagg and Larry Siemering.
Hardin was a very talented athlete. He earned 11 varsity letters at Pacific before he graduated in 1950. A varsity letter means he was a top player in many sports. He was honored for his college sports achievements in 1998. That year, he was inducted into the College of the Pacific's Athletics Hall of Fame. Coach Hardin also served his country. After his first year of college, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He served on a ship called the USS Orlando PF-99.
Wayne Hardin's Coaching Journey
Wayne Hardin started his coaching career in 1949 as a student helper at Pacific. In 1950, he became a coach at Ceres High School in Ceres, California. He coached both football and basketball there.
Coaching College Teams
In 1952, Hardin went back to his old college, Pacific, to coach the backfield players. After that, he coached at Porterville College, a community college in Porterville, California. He was the head football coach there for two seasons, winning 9 games and losing 8.
In 1955, he joined the United States Naval Academy as an assistant football coach. He worked under Coach Eddie Erdelatz.
From 1959 to 1964, Wayne Hardin was the head coach for the Navy football team. During his time there, his team won 38 games, lost 22, and tied 2. His Navy teams had an amazing winning streak against their biggest rival, Army. They won five games in a row against Army. This record was not beaten until 2007.
Hardin coached two players who won the prestigious Heisman Trophy while at Navy. Joe Bellino won the award in 1960. Later, Roger Staubach won it in 1963. These are some of the most famous players in Navy football history.
Coaching Temple Owls Football
Hardin became the head coach at Temple University in 1970 and stayed until 1982. He led the Temple Owls to 80 wins, 50 losses, and 3 ties. His 80 wins are still the most by any coach in Temple's history.
He coached many players at Temple who later became professional football players. Some of these players include Joe Klecko, Randy Grossman, Kevin Ross, Bill Singletary, and Steve Joachim. Steve Joachim won the Maxwell Award in 1974 while playing for the Owls.
Under Coach Hardin, Temple's team had an incredible 14-game winning streak. This streak lasted from 1973 into 1974. At that time, it was the longest winning streak in NCAA Division I football.
The 1979 Temple team was the most successful in the school's history. They won 10 games and only lost 2. They finished the season ranked #17 in the country. This is the only Temple team ever to finish a season ranked so high. The 1979 team ended their season with a big win in the 1979 Garden State Bowl. They beat the Cal team, who were expected to win. Temple did not play in another bowl game until the 2009 season.
Wayne Hardin's total college coaching record was 118 wins, 74 losses, and 5 ties.
After Coaching Football
After his coaching career, Wayne Hardin also worked as a sports commentator. He provided color commentary for CBS Sports for the Baltimore Colts games.
Wayne Hardin passed away on April 12, 2017, in Oreland, Pennsylvania. He was 91 years old and had suffered a major stroke.
Images for kids
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Hardin in 2007 with Navy's two Heisman Trophy winners, Roger Staubach and Joe Bellino
