It took a while for Cedrick Hardman to settle into his role on the North Texas football team, but by 1968 he had become a standout defensive end that opponents both feared and respected.
Hardman originally came to North Texas as a running back, played as a reserve defensive back in 1966, then was moved back to running back briefly in the spring of 1968. But in fall drills prior to the 1968 season, he was tried at defensive end and found his calling. His combination of quickness and strength overwhelmed offensive lineman and made Hardman a constant threat to opposing quarterbacks.
As a senior in 1969, the 6-3, 255-pound Hardman recorded 38 quarterback sacks in 10 games, including an 11-sack performance against Tulsa in North Texas's homecoming game. His dominant season earned Hardman first-team All-Missouri Valley All-Conference honors, and he was also selected to play in the Blue-Gray Game and the Senior Bowl. He was voted defensive Most Valuable Player in both all-star games.
After Hardman's teammate "Mean" Joe Greene became the first North Texas player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 1969, Hardman became UNT's second first-round selection when he was picked ninth in the opening round in 1970 by the San Francisco 49ers.
In the NFL, Hardman earned two Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro honors. He anchored the 49ers "Gold Rush" defense and recorded 120 sacks with San Francisco, and remains the 49ers' all-time sack leader.
After 10 years with San Francisco, Hardman played two seasons with the Oakland Raiders and was part of their Super Bowl-winning squad in the 1980 season.
Following his playing days, Hardman worked as an actor. He was in movies such as the Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder comedy "Stir Crazy," the Robert Redford political drama "The Candidate" and the 1990 Kid 'n Play comedy "House Party," and television shows "The Fall Guy" and "Police Woman."
Hardman was inducted into the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team in 2006, and was voted to the North Texas All-Century football team in 2013.
Hardman died March 8, 2019, at age 70.