Jim Hardy, a former quarterback-defensive back who had been the oldest living player from Southern Cal and the Los Angeles Rams, died Friday at the age of 96, the university announced on Monday.
He died of natural causes in La Quinta, Calif., according to USC.
The Rose Bowl MVP as a senior captain in 1945, Hardy helped the Trojans earn shutout victories in the prestigious postseason game in 1944 (vs. Washington) and 1945 (vs. Tennessee). In both seasons, he led the team in passing, total offense and punting, while also leading the Trojans in scoring in 1942.
He went on to attend 85 consecutive Rose Bowl games, which according to the Los Angeles Times is believed to be an attendance record for the “Granddaddy of Them All.”
A three-time letterman at USC, Hardy, who saw his first USC game at the Coliseum at the age of 8, attended Fairfax High in Los Angeles, then eventually went on to become an inductee in the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1994.
He began a seven-year NFL career with the Rams in 1946 after enlisting in the Navy following his graduation from USC, where he also played third base on the baseball team. Though he was selected eighth overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1945 NFL Draft, he decided to play for the Rams after their move to L.A. from Cleveland.
He played 30 games (three starts) for the Rams in three seasons, completing 159 of 332 passes for 2,063 yards and 21 touchdowns. He continued his NFL career with the Chicago Cardinals (1949-51) and Detroit Lions (1952), earning Pro Bowl honors in 1950 and an NFL championship in 1952.
However, he’s infamously known for throwing the most interceptions in an NFL game — eight against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1950, a record that still stands.
Hardy was general manager of the Los Angeles Coliseum from 1973-86, and during that time the venue hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Survived by his wife, Henrietta, who was a USC student when they met, Hardy’s other survivors include four children and one grandson. Services will be private, according to the university.