Fans saddened by passing of legendary Notre Dame Fighting Irish athlete

A university press release explained that Kevin Hardy passed away on Monday, May 6, 2024, in Northern California.

Hardy, who was born in 1945, was 78 years old at the time of his passing. Hardy was a Notre Dame athlete from 1964 to 1967. He didn’t play football his freshman year as freshmen weren’t allowed to play until 1972.

Kevin Hardy was an elite athlete for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Hardy was nothing short of elite in multiple sports during his time with the Fighting Irish. As a defensive tackle, he helped Notre Dame win a national title in 1966.

Hardy was a part of one of the great college football defenses of all time as they allowed just 24 points all season long. 10 of those points were against the Michigan State Spartans. Notre Dame gave up seven points to the Purdue Boilermakers and the Northwestern Wildcats meaning there were just seven points given up for the entire rest of the season.

Hardy was a two-time All-American who was taken with the No. 7 overall pick in the 1968 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints before he was moved to the San Francisco 49ers.

Hardy was also an elite baseball player. He led the Notre Dame team with a .398 batting average as the regular right fielder. His least-notable sport, basketball, saw Hardy in a reserve role wherein he helped the Fighting Irish to an NCAA tournament appearance.

Fan support for Kevin Hardy came flooding in on social media

Upon hearing the news of Hardy’s passing, many Notre Dame fans and college football fans, in general, took to social media to express their sadness.

The university press release explained who Hardy is survived by:

Hardy is survived by his son, Danny (daughter-in-law Julie Hardy), daughter Shannon Kuhl (son-in-law Chris Kuhl and grandson Kevin) and sisters Mary and Barbara.