Hardy, the oldest USC and Rams player, dies at 96

LOS ANGELES – Jim Hardy, the oldest American football player USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams and the most valuable player of the Rose Bowl of 1945, is dead. He was 96 years old.

The university announced Monday that he had died Friday of natural causes at his home in the desert town of La Quinta, California, 130 km east of Los Angeles.

Hardy was selected eighth in the first round of the NFL draft in 1945 by the Washington Redskins. The quarterback spent seven seasons in the league and was part of the 1952 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship. He also played for the Rams (1946-1948) and the Cardinals of Chicago (1949-1951). He pitched for 5,690 yards and 54 touchdowns.

Hardy played for the Rams in their inaugural season. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1950.

With the Cardinals in 1950, he set a record for one game by throwing eight interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles, which is still valid. The following week, against the Baltimore Colts, he rebounded to throw six touchdowns.

Hardy wrote three seasons (1942-1944) at the quarterback and defensive position for USC, starting his last two seasons and leading the Trojans to a pair of shutout victories in the Rose Bowl.

He threw three touchdown passes against Washington in a 29-0 win in the Rose Bowl of 1944, then earned two TDs and a third to earn the MVP title in a 25- win victory. 0 on Tennessee in the Rose Bowl of 1945.

He also played third base for the USC baseball team for three years.

His late brother, Don, played for the Trojans in the mid-1940s and was drafted by the Rams in football and by the Cleveland Indians in baseball.

Jim Hardy was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1994.

After a career in the business world, Hardy was managing director of the Los Angeles Stars of ABA (1969-1970), and then held a similar title at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1973-1986).

Hardy remained a USC football fan who, two years ago, drove once a week twice a week from the desert to Los Angeles to attend the team's training. He has also attended more than 80 Rose Bowl games.

He is survived by his wife Henrietta, 74 years old. his daughters Cindy Aivalis, Ellen Hardy and K. Maria Hardy; and his son Danny Hardy. He was predeceased in death by his son James.