Turpin Time

Don't Miss Don Hardin's 13th Season

Posted by: Jim Turpin

Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:29 AM

     There has been no official announcement yet, but it appears that Don Hardin's 13th season as head coach of the women's volleyball team at Illinois will be his last.

     It was with a great deal of sadness that I watched him with a couple dozen of his former players at the Alumni match Saturday night.  It was obvious how much they cared for him.

     Personally, I will miss him more than words can say.

     Most coaches can spew out x's and o's and hammer you with cliches.  After awhile you know what is coming - what they are going to say - and it is often tiresome.   It doesn't happen when you talk to Don Hardin.

     A conversation with Don Hardin is just that - a conversation wherein both parties state their opinions of a variety of topics - a challenging few minutes of give-and-take that is so special to you that  you wish it could go on much longer.

     On our Saturday Sportsline, Loren Tate and I have grilled Hardin on such diverse topics as the war in Iraq,  the sometimes silliness of the NCAA,  the joys and heartbreaks of being a coach of talented young women,  volleyball in the Olympics, diversity on the campus, etc.   He answers every question and fires back at us with his own.

     Don coaches volleyball, but he also:  enjoys cross country skiing, camping, fishing, speaking German, cooking, reading food and wine magazines, ballroom dancing with his wife KIm, and cycling on a recumbent bike.

     This is truly a man for all seasons.

     What will he do when he quits coaching?   He says he wants to teach.   How fortunate it would be to be in a classroom with him.

     So, when he walks out there next Friday night in the "Stuff Huff" game against North Carolina, to kick off the 2008 volleyball season,  take a moment to applaud and to realize that a man like Don Hardin doesn't come along very often.   Enjoy and appreciate him while you can.

    

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