Kevin Hardy ( linebacker ) Kevin Lamont Hardy ( born July 24 , 1973 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League ( NFL ) for nine seasons . He played college football for the University of Illinois , and was recognized as an All - American . Drafted as the second overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft , he played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars , Dallas Cowboys , and Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL . Early years . Hardy was born in Evansville , Indiana . He graduated from William Henry Harrison High School in Evansville , where he received numerous awards and accolades as a high school football player . Hardy was an honor roll student , and also played basketball and ran track . Hardy ' s basketball teammates in high school included Calbert Cheaney , an All - America n at Indiana , and Walter McCarty , who played at Kentucky , and Chris Lowery who played at Southern Illinois and is now an assistant coach at Kansas State University . College football . Hardy attended the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign , and played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team from 1992 to 1995 . Hardy was a business major , and was initiated as a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity . In his senior season of 1995 , Hardy was named the winner of the Dick Butkus Award , given to the top linebacker in college football , and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American . During his time at Illinois , the Fighting Illini had a number of outstanding linebackers . In the 1994 season , the four linebackers in coach Lou Tepper ' s 3 - 4 defense were Hardy , fellow Butkus Award winner Dana Howard , future NFL player John Holecek , and Simeon Rice . Because of this , Hardy was often overlooked as a linebacker . At his position , he was not prolific in accumulating tackles like Howard , who played in the middle , nor was prolific in quarterback sacks , as was Rice , who as a " rush linebacker " played on the line of scrimmage like a defensive end . Despite this , Hardy ' s athletic ability stood out , and by his senior season , he was recognized as being among the very best linebackers in college football . Hardy finished his collegiate career ranking ninth on the Illinois all - time list with 330 tackles , fourth in sacks with 18 , and fourth in tackles for loss with 38 . Professional football . Jacksonville Jaguars . Hardy was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second overall selection in the 1996 NFL Draft , signing a six - year $ 14 . 8 million contract with a six million dollar signing bonus . Hardy ' s fellow linebacker at Illinois , Simeon Rice , was chosen with the third overall selection . Hardy played six seasons for the Jaguars , which included four trips to the NFL playoffs . Hardy was named to the NFL All - Rookie team in 1996 . In 1998 , Hardy set the Jaguars team record with 186 tackles . Hardy led all AFC linebackers with 10 . 5 sacks in 1999 , and again led the Jaguars in tackles with 153 . His play helped lead the Jaguars to a 14 - win season , and Hardy was selected to the Pro Bowl as well as named to the AP All - Pro first team . In 2001 , Hardy injured his knee in the ninth game of the season , his last game with the Jaguars . Dallas Cowboys . Hardy signed with the Dallas Cowboys on April 14 , 2002 as an unrestricted free agent , receiving a one - year , $ 2 . 5 million contract . Hardy recovered from his injury and played for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2002 NFL season . Hardy finished the season ranking third on the Cowboys in both total ( 75 ) and solo tackles ( 60 ) , and also recorded two quarterback sacks . Hardy played outside linebacker , and also lined up as a defensive end in some passing downs . Cincinnati Bengals . Hardy signed a four year , $ 14 million USD contract with the Cincinnati Bengals as an unrestricted free agent on March 6 , 2003 , to be the Bengals new middle linebacker , after playing outside linebacker with the Jaguars and Cowboys . Hardy played for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 and 2004 NFL seasons . Hardy was an integral part of the Bengals ' defense in 2003 , starting all 16 games and leading the team in defensive snaps played ( 1030 of 1038 , for 99 . 2 % ) . Hardy was second on the team in tackles in 2003 with 91 . He started 14 games in the 2004 season . The Bengals terminated Hardy ' s contract on May 3 , 2005 . Hardy finished his career with 742 tackles ( 563 solo ) , 36 sacks , 43 . 5 tackles for loss , 11 forced fumbles , seven fumble recoveries , 45 pass deflections , five interceptions for 59 yards , and one touchdown in 134 games . Life after football . Kevin currently resides in Jacksonville , Florida with his wife Terrie and their two sons . In August 2007 , Kevin built his South Beach club venture , Dream Nightclub , centered around a motto that " reality is overrated . " " I ' ve been around and entertained people all my life , so I made a business out of it " said Hardy .