Brad Hartman: Miami Athlete of the Month – Presented by Jim Rexwinkle State Farm

By John Tranchina

Brad Hartman knows that being a team player is crucial to any success in football, and the Miami senior demonstrated his own team-first approach by eagerly changing positions in mid-season when his coach needed him to.

“Probably the most important thing is to put the team first and to play for the other guys around me more than myself,” said Hartman, who played left guard on offense and started at defensive end before switching to middle linebacker. “I think that puts out a good example, to have the team play for each other and to put the team first and not put yourself first.”

Some injuries necessitated Hartman’s move to linebacker, and besides wanting to do whatever he could to help the team, he also had always wanted to play the position, so he jumped at the opportunity.

“I thought it was actually cool, because I always wanted to play linebacker, so it was kind of an easy switch,” said Hartman, who also plays baseball in the spring. “I’m a quick learner, so it came kind of fast to me, but it did take a few weeks to get used to having to make the different reads, instead of just eyeing off the ball and just running to it. Since an early age, you always see the middle linebacker be the toughest guy on the field, hitting people the hardest, so I wanted to be that guy.”

Miami coach Zach Gardner appreciated Hartman’s willingness to do whatever was asked of him.

“Brad sets a great example on and off the field and understands the team aspect,” Gardner said. “He is a coach’s player. Not only does he excel on the game field, but in the classroom as well.”

And while the Wardogs didn’t see the best results on the scoreboard, going 3-7 on the season, Hartman was happy with his performance on both sides of the ball.

“I felt like this year was definitely my most successful year, especially on defense,” said Hartman, who is also involved in the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Interact Club (which does community service) at Miami. “The past few years, I haven’t played as much on defense, but this year, I did. Even as a team, I felt like we grew a lot. I feel like this year was definitely my best as a player.”

 

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