William David "Dee" Hardison (May 2, 1956 – April 21, 2018) was a

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

and defensive tackle who played for the Buffalo Bills (1978–1980), the New York Giants (1982–1985), the San Diego Chargers (1986–1987) and the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

(1988). He played college football at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. Hardison helped the Bills win the 1980 AFC East Division and helped the Bills defense lead the NFL in fewest passing yards allowed in 1978 and the AFC in 1979 and 1980 and NFL in fewest total yards allowed in 1980 and the Chiefs lead the NFL in fewest passing yards allowed in 1988. In ten seasons, Hardison had nine sacks. Hardison died on April 21, 2018 at the age of 61.

References

1956 births 2018 deaths All-American college football players People from Jacksonville, North Carolina American football defensive linemen North Carolina Tar Heels football players Buffalo Bills players New York Giants players San Diego Chargers players Kansas City Chiefs players {{Defensive-lineman-1950s-stub