Charles "Charlie Red" Hardnett (September 13, 1938 – July 6, 2019) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played three seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). The 6' 8"

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

played for Carver High School Atlanta. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African ...

from 1959 to 1963. Hardnett earned All-America honors in 1962. He was also the NAIA Basketball Tournament MVP in 1961. Hardnett was drafted in the third round (third pick) of the 1962 NBA draft by the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

. He played for the Chicago Zephyrs / Baltimore Bullets (NBA) from 1962 to 1965. Hardnett also coached at the college level. He coached at

Coppin State College Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of ...

(Baltimore) from 1970 to 1974, and at

Morris Brown College Morris Brown College (MBC) is a Private university, private African Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlan ...

(Atlanta) from 1974 to 1980.

High school career

Hardnett attended Carver High School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

from 1955 to 1958. While in High School, Hardnett played three sports including

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

. He earned several honors as an athlete and student while at Carver, and was the only male athlete to attend and graduate college in his graduating class. His accomplishments as a high school student-athlete are as follows: * All-City in Football – Junior(1957) and Senior (1958) * All-City in Basketball – Junior(1957) and Senior (1958) * All-State in Basketball – Senior (1958) * State Tournament MVP – Senior (1958) * Black High School All-American Team – Senior (1958) * Member of the Baseball team for three years * President of the student body – Senior (1958) * The most improved student award – Senior (1958) * Four-Year Scholarship to

Grambling College Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African A ...

Collegiate career

Hardnett went to

in 1958, and became an instant success. He was coached by

Fred Hobdy Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frede ...

who coached at Grambling for 30 seasons. During his days at Grambling, Hardnett played with players such as

Willis Reed Willis Reed Jr. (June 25, 1942 – March 21, 2023) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten-year pro playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball ...

. During his years at Grambling, Hardnett amassed the following honors: ;1958–1959 * First year starter * Led the team in rebounding ;1959–1960 * Most Valuable Player – Georgia Invitational Tournament, Atlanta * NAIA All-American Team * Selected to the NAIA All-Stars that participated in the 1960 Olympic Trials
'' Beat Ohio State (1960 NCAA Champions) in the first round'' * First Team All-SWAC ;1960–1961 * NAIA All-American * NAIA Tournament MVP * NAIA All-Tournament Team * Basketball Player of the year award – 100% Tip-Off Club Atlanta * Chuck Taylor All-American Second Team
''Only small college player selected'' * First Team All-SWAC * NAIA Basketball Championship
''2nd HBCU to win the event (Only National Championship for Grambling)'' ;1961–62 * NAIA All-American Team * Chuck Taylor All-American First Team
''Only small college player selected'' * First Team All-SWAC Hardnett scored over 2,000 points in his career at Grambling and grabbed over 2,000 rebounds (16.9 RPG—First All-Time at Grambling). In addition, Hardnett was drafted by the NBA and became the First African-American drafted by the NBA from the state of Georgia, the second Player drafted by the NBA from Grambling, and only the third African-American drafted by the NBA from an HBCU in the state of Louisiana. In 1973, Hardnett was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame as an athlete. Image:NAIA 1973 HOF-Cover.jpg, Cover for NAIA HOF Luncheon Program (1973) Image:NAIA 1973 HOF-1.jpg, Pages 1 and 2 of HOF Luncheon Program (1973) Image:NAIA 1973 HOF-2.jpg, Page 3 of HOF Luncheon Program (1973) Image:NAIA 1973 HOF-3.jpg, Page 4 and back cover of HOF Luncheon Program (1973) ;2009 * Inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame at the inaugural induction ceremony July 18, 2009, Monroe, Louisiana. The inaugural induction class includes

(Basketball), Tommy Agee (Baseball),

Ernie Ladd Ernest L. Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "the Big Cat", was an American professional American football, football defensive tackle and professional wrestling, professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd ...

(Football/Wrestling),

Henry Dyer Henry Dyer (23 August 1848 – 25 September 1918) was a Scottish engineer who contributed much to founding Western-style technical education in Japan and Scottish-Japanese relations. Early life Henry Dyer was born on 16 August 1848, ...

(Football),

Ralph Garr Ralph Allen Garr (born December 12, 1945), nicknamed "Road Runner", is an American former professional baseball player, scout, and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from through — most notably as a member of t ...

(Baseball), Charlie Hardnett (Basketball), Robert Hopkins (Basketball), Lane Howell (Football),

Stone Johnson Stone Edward Johnson (April 26, 1940 — September 8, 1963) was an American sprinter and professional football player. He played as a kick returner and running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) during the 19 ...

(Football/Track), Willie Joseph (Football), Legolian "Boots" Moore (Football), Bo Murray (Football), Helen Richards-Smith (Basketball),

Richard Stebbins Richard Vaughn Stebbins (born June 14, 1945) is an American former athlete, winner of gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1964 Summer Olympics. At the Tokyo Olympics, Richard Stebbins finished seventh in 200 m and ran the third leg in th ...

(Track),

Hershell West Hershell West (July 8, 1940 – January 28, 2023) was an American basketball player and coach. He played basketball at Eula D. Britton in his hometown of Rayville, Louisiana and won the Louisiana State AA Championship in 1959. Grambling State Tige ...

(Basketball), Willie Young (Football), Tank Younger (Football), Ralph W.E. Jones (College President and Coach), Eddie Robinson (Coach), Collie Nicholson (Sports Information Officer), Fred C. Hobdy (Coach), Willie Brown (Football),

Buck Buchanan Junious "Buck" Buchanan (September 10, 1940 – July 16, 1992) was an American professional football defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Buchanan was in ...

(Football), Willie Davis (Football) and

Charlie Joiner Charles Joiner Jr. (born October 14, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 18 seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Diego Charger ...

(Football). ;2012 * NAIA 75th Anniversary Team at NAIA Championship Kansas City, Missouri. ;2015 * Inducted into the Coppin State University Hall of Fame February 2015, Baltimore. * Inducted into the Carver High School Hall of Fame April 2015, Atlanta.

Professional career

Hardnett's professional basketball career started by being drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in the 3rd round of the 1962 NBA draft. He played in Chicago for the Zephyrs and in Baltimore for the Bullets. After the NBA, Hardnett went on to play in the

Eastern Professional Basketball League The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(EPBL). He played three more years of professional basketball for the Harrisburg Patriots and the Scranton Miners. He was selected to the All-EPBL First Team in 1966. Image:Charles Hardnett Zephyrs Head Shot.jpg, Head Shot for Chicago Zephyrs Image:Charles Hardnett Bullets Promo 1.jpg, Baltimore Bullets Image:Charles Hardnett Bullets Action 1.jpg, Baltimore Bullets Action Image:Charles Hardnett Bullets Promo 2.jpg, Baltimore Bullets

Coaching career

After a successful playing career, Hardnett entered a career of coaching. His coaching career would have him serve as the Head Basketball Coach at

Coppin State Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Coppin State Universi ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and at

. During his career at Morris Brown College he served quadruple duties as the Head Basketball Coach, Athletic Director, Head Baseball Coach, and Head Golf Coach. He coached for 12 years and amassed a 160–150 coaching record. During his coaching career, Hardnett had the following highlights: * Won 2 Regular Season Championships 1972, 1973 * Won 1 Conference Tournament Championship 1974 * Finished 3rd in Conference Tournament twice (??, ??) * Took Coppin State to NAIA District 19 Playoffs twice (??, ??) * Players for Charles Hardnett
- 1 Player Drafted by the NBA (Name and Year)
- 7 Players on All-Conference Teams (Names and Years)
- 3 Players on All-Tournament Teams (Names and Years) * Named the Coach of the Year twice (team years) * Named Atlanta University Coach of the Year in 1980, Presented at Extra Point Club, Inc. of Atlanta

Family

Charles Hardnett was married to Bernice Hardnett, and lived in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his wife had three children: Dana S. Hardnett, Charles R. Hardnett (married to Felicia A. Hardnett), and Derek W. Hardnett (married to Quovardis Hardnett). He and his wife had several grandchildren: Daveon, Wendy, William, Derek, Jeremy, Erin, and Charles Jr. (CJ). Hardnett died on July 6, 2019.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

Playoffs

Honors

*In 1973, Hardnett was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame as an athlete. *In 2009, Inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame at the inaugural induction ceremony July 18, 2009, Monroe, Louisiana. *2012, NAIA 75th Anniversary Team at NAIA Championship Kansas City, Missouri. *In 2015, Hardnett was inducted into the Coppin State University Hall of Fame.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardnett, Charles 1938 births 2019 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball players from Atlanta Centers (basketball) Chicago Zephyrs players Coppin State Eagles men's basketball coaches Grambling State Tigers men's basketball players Harrisburg Patriots players Morris Brown Wolverines men's basketball coaches Power forwards St. Louis Hawks draft picks