Thread: Former CU great, longtime Broncos scout Carroll Hardy dies

Carroll Hardy – one of the greatest athletes in University of Colorado history, a 24-year football executive for the Denver Broncos and the only man to pinch-hit for Ted Williams – died Sunday morning at a hospice in Highlands Ranch from complications of dementia.

Hardy was 87. He and wife Janice were to be married 64 years next week. They raised three children in Colorado, Jay, Jill and Lisa.

It takes some time to summarize Hardy’s rich life. Born in Sturgis, South Dakota on May 18, 1933, he was in inducted into both the South Dakota and Colorado sports hall of fames.

Hardy earned 10 letters at CU – four in football, four in baseball and two in track – before graduating in 1955. Drafted in the third round by the NFL San Francisco 49ers that year, Hardy was a halfback/receiver who rushed for 37 yards but also had 12 catches for 338 yards – an astounding 28.2 yards per catch – and four touchdowns.

rest - https://www.9news.com/article/sports...f-ef8b0d9aba9b

Joel Buchsbaum, who used to cover the draft for Pro Football Weekly, spoke highly of Carroll in a 1981 issue. He basically said that Hardy had a good eye for talent (he may have been the brains behind John Ralston's good drafts in the 70's).