Heritage Association Spotlight: Jim Hardy and Bruce Gelker
October 04, 2017 | Trojan Athletic Fund, USC Ripsit Blog
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By: Aubrey Kragen
The Heritage Association Spotlight was created to profile USC student-athlete alumni who have given back to the university.
Nearly every single Saturday since he was eight years old, Jim Hardy has spent the day at the same place: the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Hardy's passion for USC began on a crisp fall day in 1931. His father gave him and his brother 15 cents each to get in through the kids' gate and watch the Trojans beat the Georgia Bulldogs, 60-0, in the final game of the regular season.
"I fell in love with the Trojans that day, and I just wanted to go to USC and play football ever since then," said Hardy, now 94 years old.
Hardy turned that dream into a reality, making the dressing squad for the first time when he was 19 years old.
"My biggest thrill was when I was a sophomore, I remember coming down the tunnel and I've got the silks on," he said. "I've got the Cardinal and Gold, and all I see is Cardinal and Gold. No hope of playing in the game, but just thrilled to be there, because I was one of the Trojans."
Hardy went from a reserve role to being the leader and QB of two shutout Rose Bowl wins in 1944 and 1945. Bruce Gelker
While at USC, he became close with teammate Bruce Gelker, who also grew up a Trojan fan. He said the only fight he ever got in during grade school was with another student who claimed to like Stanford. Hardy and Gelker have remained steadfast in their friendship and their commitment to supporting USC in the decades since.
Gelker (pictured) and Hardy both served in the Armed Forces during WWII before returning to Los Angeles and getting involved with USC again.
Gelker built the Saddleback Inn in Santa Ana, where he catered to USC alumni as well as high-profile guests, such as former presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, performer Gene Autry and then-Redskins owner George Allen.
For years, he ran buses from the hotel to the Coliseum on game days. He's hardly missed a USC home game since he got back from the war. Gelker built another Saddleback Inn in Lake Arrowhead, where he founded the Mile High Trojan Club for USC alumni and fans who lived in or visited the area often.
Hardy didn't need to take the bus to the Coliseum on game days, as he served as the general manager of the stadium for 15 years upon the end of his NFL career.
He also started a streak of attending USC football practice one day a week to stay connected to the team. Based on his time spent watching practice and games, Hardy believes that current USC QB Sam Darnold has "all the tools to be the best quarterback that ever played here."
Of USC's coaching staff, Hardy explained, "You have to have good ingredients to make a good salad; You have to have good ingredients to make a good football team. Coach Helton is not above sharing the glory with his assistant coaches."
Hardy and Gelker got to mingle with those coaches when they attended the annual Salute to Troy kickoff event earlier this year, where Hardy was presented with the Marv Goux "Trojan For Life" Award by USC AD Lynn Swann.
"I never got over being a Trojan," said Hardy. "I was thrilled at the time, and I'm still that way today."
If you are a member of the USC student-athlete alumni community, or would like more information about the Heritage Association, please click here!
