Hardy attended Princeton High School, where he played center on the offensive line as a freshman.
In his final game, he got the opportunity to start at outside linebacker, posting 15 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
[1] He became a starter at outside linebacker as a sophomore and registered 20 tackles (fourth in school history) against the University of Alabama.
Hardy was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the tenth round (270th overall) of the 1992 NFL draft.
[4] On April 7, 1994, he was signed by the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.
The next year, he failed to report to minicamp and told the Seahawks he was not sure if he wanted to continue playing football.