The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorn Hall of Honor: Larry Hardy
09.16.2015 | Baseball, Texas Athletics, T-Association
The 59th Men's Hall of Honor class will be inducted in a Sept. 25 ceremony at the Frank Erwin Center.
Count Larry Hardy as a cornerstone for one of the strongest pitching staffs in Texas Baseball history. From 1968-70, pitching with the likes of James Street and Burt Hooton, Hardy served as a starter and reliever on a staff that assembled the lowest ERA during a three-year period.
The Longhorns also made three trips to Omaha for the College World Series during that span, and Hardy threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout against BYU in the opening game of the 1968 series.
For his efforts, Hardy is among the list of inductees for the 59th Men's Hall of Honor class.
Hardy contributes much of the team's success to his fellow Longhorns.
"Being surrounded by guys who are gifted as baseball players and competitors was very neat," he said.
Hardy also led the 1970 team with a 1.36 ERA and 7-3 record, which included 82 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.
After leaving Texas, Hardy made his way through the MLB as a player, coach and manager. He set the MLB record for most games pitched by a rookie, appearing in 76 games for the San Diego Padres in 1974.
Hardy played a season with the Astros in 1976 before putting on his coaching hat for the organization, coaching for the Charleston Charlies and managing the Blue Jays. He then went on to be a pitching coordinator for the Giants for three years. He scouted for the Texas Rangers and later served as a coach for seven years, which included three playoff appearances.
The former Longhorn is still involved with the MLB, where he works filing reports on umpires.
"To get paid to either play or watch baseball games is not too bad of a deal," Hardy said.
Outside of baseball, Hardy enjoys spending time with his wife and three adopted children. He is also an avid outdoorsman with a particular passion for quail hunting.
At the Hall of Honor ceremony later this month, Hardy said he will be joined by his family as well as many friends from his baseball career, including former Longhorn teammates Hooton and Mike Beard.
Hardy says he never anticipated being inducted into the Hall of Honor.
"It's a very humbling and very cool experience," he said.
Day of Distinction: 2015 Men's and Women's Hall of Honor Induction
Please join Texas Athletics as we induct 13 decorated and distinguished former University of Texas student-athletes and staff into the Men's and Women's Athletics Halls of Honor on Friday, Sept. 25
Tickets start at $35. To purchase, or if you have additional questions, please call (512) 232-4422.
