DaytonDailyNews.com

At 1 p.m. Wednesday, in front of students, faculty and administrators packed inside Oakwood High School's library, tailback Chris Hardy — flanked by parents Tom and Victoria — signed a national letter of intent with Dartmouth College of the Ivy League.

With that, the Lumberjack joined the Big Green fraternity.

Hardy's address will change to Hanover, N.H. His wardrobe will, too.

"We're starting to transition from (Oakwood) blue and gold to (Dartmouth) green and white a little bit," Hardy said. "It'll be a nice transition."

Oakwood football coach Paul Stone recalled an evening in 2003.

"The lights were on at the junior high for a game, and I heard his name on the P.A. system a lot," Stone said. "I watched a little bit and said, 'Well, at least for the next four years, we should probably be OK.' Chris was a 14-year-old kid back then. He looked like a man."

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder will graduate with 12 varsity letters — four each in football, basketball and baseball. But his future is football and finance.

"I'd like to work in a big city and make some nice coin," Hardy said. "When I picture Dartmouth, I picture being successful."

Karate kid

Lori and John Keighley remember their son, Hank, screaming at the top of the steps in their family home: "I want to play football!"

He was 12 at the time.

"We wouldn't let him play football until he completed his black belt in karate," John said.

Hank earned his belt, took up football at St. Albert the Great and became one of Alter's finest defensive ends.

The 6-4, 230-pounder pulled on his University of Toledo sweatshirt, hoisted his 6-year-old nephew, James, in his arms, then signed a national letter of intent during a cake-and-balloons celebration in Alter's library at 2:40 p.m.

Keighley wants to be a pediatrician, so Toledo's pre-med program fits him to a "T." He liked something else on his official visit.

"Every morning when you come from your dorm," he said, "you pass the stadium to get to your classes."

Keighley is thankful for karate "because it helped with my hands, my agility and my coordination."

Blue heaven

Stepping onto Urbana University's campus, it was love at first sight for Marshall defensive end Traylin Taylor.

"I like the whole feel of the program," he said. "They're sold on education. It's close to home. And their family values are real important. It's a program that's moving up, and I had to jump on board."

Flanked by his parents, Alita and Leonard Taylor, Traylin signed a letter of intent at 4 p.m. in Marshall's library, then slipped on a blue No. 13 Urbana jersey. The NAIA Blue Knights will be a full-blown NCAA Division II program in 2010.

Taylor played quarterback for Marshall, but was recruited by Urbana to play end.

Marshall head coach Earl White and assistant Tyrone Thornton called Taylor a role model for his Cougar classmates.

"We do a lot of motivation with our kids and stress, 'Don't fall behind academically,' " White said. "Traylin had the grades and the test score. This is his reward."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or

cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.