Behind the Mic

Good Luck to Don Hardin

Posted by: Brian Barnhart

Thursday, December 11, 2008 8:00 PM

Don Hardin is one of collegiate sports' good guys.  He has run the Illini volleyball program with class and dignity for several years now...and was an assistant on some of those  great Illini volleyball teams from a few years ago under Mike Hebert.

As you may know by know...Don is retiring at the end of the this season.  And boy...what a way to finish his coaching career.  An Illini team that finished the regular season in the upper reaches of the Big Ten is now in the NCAA Sweet 16 and has a good chance to be playing for a trip to the Final 4 on Saturday.

Even if they dont make it to Omaha (Penn State is the big favorite to defend their NCAA championship from a year ago)....Don has left the volleyball program in great shape for his successor.  He has had some great recruiting classes in recent years...so Illini volleyball should be Big Ten contenders for a few years in a row.

Don has been a guest on our radio station many times down through the years and has always been a delight to talk to during interviews.  And he knows a lot more about life than just volleyball...and can speak on a wide variety of topics with candor and ease. 

I know Don will still be around and cheering for the Illini volleyball team in the future at Huff Hall... but it will be strange to not see him coaching on the sidelines.  He has been a great member of the Illini family. 

The NCAA volleyball bracket shows what the Illini need to do to extend Coach Hardin's career.

 

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