Bobcat LB Daniel Hardy Honors Late Father

Daniel Hardy joined the Montana State football team as a project in 2018. As a transfer from the College of Siskiyou, you would have never guessed that 44 was anything, but a bobcat. “Coach [Jeff] Choate talks about it a lot. We’ve got guys from Florida, guys from California, guys from Oregon. It’s hard to find that chemistry and build that relationship,” Hardy said. “Over the summer and through spring ball guys get closer and closer and eventually before you know it, you’ve got best friends for life.” As Hardy started to find his place in Bozeman, he also started to open up about his personal life which had recently become a lot more than just being a kid from Oregon. “My Dad passed away not too long before I had gotten offered by Montana State,” Hardy said. “Coach Choate reached out to me very shortly after he found out, just kind of let me know that they really cared about me as, not only as a player, but as a person.” “I have the utmost respect for anybody that does this,” Choate said. “What we ask these kids to do is hard, but in some respects, some of these young men that have come from tough backgrounds or had to deal with some tough circumstances, it makes you really respect them even more.” If losing a parent to kidney cancer isn’t already enough, being the second youngest in the family left Hardy feeling helpless and confused. “Knowing my mom was at home alone, I love her to death and worry about her all the time, but she told me I had to come out here and handle my business,” Hardy said. “It was kind of hard being split between those two different worlds, but we have a fantastic support system here and it was really great knowing I had people here to support me.” Now a year and some later, Hardy is still honoring his dad in every way that he knows how. Whether that’s special markings on his game day cleats, his energetic “go-get-em” personality, or digging deeper into the person he is. “I’m sure he’s looking down proud as ever. I didn’t notice it at first, but everybody hates to say they’re growing up to be like their parents but I definitely have noticed that I have a lot of qualities of my dad,” he said. “I have eight siblings and five of them are boys, so it’s like he’s living on in all of us and we’re carrying on his legacy.” Choate says that though they didn’t know his father, his teammates flock to him simply because of personality. And now that he’s starting to find success on the field, all the remaining pieces are finally settling where they should be.