The Chargers remain alive in the AFC wild card race with the win yesterday versus the Giants. At the center of this crusade ,that heads to
Denver Thursday, is Nick Hardwick.
#61 is playing some of the best football in his 10 year career. Raise your hand if you think it is time to get him back to the Pro Bowl ?
What we do know is Hardwick externally portrays a “tough guy” with his many tattoos but his leadership on and off the field is what stands out most. Theresa Villano of Pro Player Insiders has had the pleasure to run into the Chargers vet on many occasions and what you may not know is that his hard exterior shells an empathetic personality. Almost like a rainbow colored M&M…colored shell that melts in your hand.
With that being said, we are giving NFL fans a chance to find out 10 Need to Knows about the “Center” of Chargers Hardwick:
1. Nick Hardwick is a family man, known to make time for the San Diego community. Hardwick has taken time the past couple summers to give back, motivate, and share his words of wisdom (with Chargers Vincent Brown) at the three day Sports International Football camp. Check out some of what he had to say below.
2. Nick enjoys the kids and is a proud papa. He and his wife Jayme have a son named Hudson (almost 2 years old) and recently had a second child, Theodore, last month. “One of the reasons I play football is for the kids…I relate to kids very well. The best fans are kids because they have a pure enthusiasm for the game.” Click here to listen to Pro Player Insiders Nick hardwick interview.
3. Nick’s wife (Jayme Hardwick) is an assistant coach for the San Diego State Aztecs Womens Soccer Team. She is also alumni of Purdue where she played as a midfielder on the Women’s Soccer team from 2002-2005.
4.The 2006 Pro Bowler went to Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He didn’t play football any of the four years he attended, however he did win a state championship in wrestling.
5. Hardwick then went to Purdue on a Marines ROTC Scholarship and is color blind. He originally wanted to be a pilot for the Marine Corps so he got his pilot license before he turned 18. During his physical he was found to be color blind which disqualified him from being a pilot. He hasn’t flown a plane since the day he got his pilot license.
6. After the Boilermakers 2001 Rose Bowl victory (with Drew Brees leading the way), Nick walked on at Purdue. He started in 2002 as a defensive tackle and earned a scholarship that very next year. His position then evolved to become the starting center which eventually lead to earning all-conference honors.
7. Nick is know to be a strong supporter of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, which has provided countless resources to help the families of fallen Marine and federal law enforcement officers. This parallels his passion for the Marines and empathy for his community. Visit http://touchdowns4kids.com/
8. Hardwick likes a clean, one and done wipe. One Wipe Charlies is a flushable wet toilet-paper product that added the Chargers center to their male-targeted brand’s “Clean Snap” ad campaign. Alongside four NFL centers (Travis Frederick of the Dallas Cowboys; John Sullivan of the Minnesota Vikings and Eric Wood of the Buffalo Bills), Nick is committed to advertising the gentlemen wipes not only for cleanliness but also because for every clean snap the company donates $10 to Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation.
It’s not to late to support. One Wipe Charlies is donating $1 for every hashtag #cleansnap he gets on Twitter.
9. Hardwick is also close friends with Quarterback Phillip Rivers. Check out MartyTimeTV as they interview Nick and Phillip’s wife, Tiffany, to find out who knows Phillip best.
9. (continued) Nick and Phillip also co-guest-hosted the Darren Smith Show on Mighty 1090 in San Diego, as they interviewed Matt Barkley about his new experience coming into the NFL.
10. Hardwick is also the union representative for the Chargers. He cares about his teammates and wants to assure that the rights of players are protected.
For the latest on the “Center” of the Chargers Follow him @hardwina “Husband of the lovely @jaymehardwick. Father of Hudson, Theodore, and Tito. 10 year offensive center for the San Diego Chargers.
–Follow Theresa @Theresa_ppi
Click here to listen to Pro Player Insiders Nick hardwick interview.
