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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Hardy Nickerson was named Illinois' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Lovie Smith announced Thursday. Nickerson left the San Francisco 49ers, where he was serving in the same capacity, to join the Fighting Illini.

"Hardy Nickerson is one of the few superstar players who have been able to transition into coaching and translate the style and level of play needed to succeed to the players he is coaching," Smith said. "He has been on my staff with two different NFL teams, and I'm really looking forward to having Hardy join us here at the University of Illinois as our defensive coordinator. His ability to connect with young men and their families will be a huge benefit when it comes to recruiting, and his knowledge of our defense will certainly help us get to where we want to be faster."

Nickerson played 16 seasons in the NFL (1987-2002) for four teams before joining the pro football coaching ranks with the Chicago Bears in 2007 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014-15. Smith was the head coach during both of Nickerson's coaching stops in the NFL, after the two built a relationship when Smith was the linebackers' coach while Nickerson starred at the position for the Buccaneers.

A member of the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team, Nickerson was one of the most accomplished linebackers of his time. Nickerson's long list of achievements as a player includes five trips to the Pro Bowl, four All-Pro selections and the Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award in 1997.

Nickerson stayed involved in football after his retirement in 2003, first as a color analyst for NFL Europe in 2004 and later as a color analyst for the Buccaneer Radio Network in 2006. He made the switch from the booth to the sideline when Smith hired him to coach the Bears' linebackers in 2007.

After leaving the Bears due to health issues within his family, Nickerson returned to coaching in 2009 as the linebackers' coach at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. He coached the linebackers, including his son Hardy Nickerson Jr., for one season before taking over as head coach for the next four years.

Nickerson and his wife, Amy, have three children, daughter Ashleigh and Hardy Jr. and Haleigh. All three children attend the University of California, Berkeley, where the younger Hardy is a senior linebacker on the football team. Ashleigh graduated from Cal in 2013 and Haleigh graduated in 2015.

Nickerson earned a bachelor's degree from Berkeley in 1989. He is a member of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and still ranks second on the school's all-time list for tackles.

Nickerson Playing / Coaching / Post NFL History