From football to online gaming, the Dallas Cowboys running back keeps betting on himself.
JaQuan Hardy's Vision
A Little Kid With Big Dreams
Hurdles to Overcome
JaQuan Keeps Striving
JaQuan's Eyewear Picks:
On the Field
For the Sun
Screen Time Competition
Credit: https://www.dallascowboys.com/video/jaquan-hardy-beyond-excited
JaQuan Hardy is a passionate person. He has an easy, earned confidence that comes from a mix of family support, success at an early age, and knowing just what he wants in life. In conversation, he lights from topic to topic, and his smile is bright.
JaQuan has endless enthusiasm for a variety of pursuits: from golfing at the Cowboys golf course, to old school cartoons — even archery, he tells us with a smile. But what really makes him light up is gaming. JaQuan started playing video games at a young age after an uncle introduced him to Goldeneye and World of Warcraft. Playing games like Pac-Man, Madden, and Call of Duty, JaQuan developed the competitive instincts and drive that would later take him all the way from his hometown of Cleveland, OH to the Dallas Cowboys.
Credit: JaQuan Hardy
It hasn’t always been easy, though. JaQuan suffered a painful knee injury in college, lost a year on the field due to Covid, and has struggled with finding adequate solutions for his lifelong vision problems. At every turn, he’s learned to bet on himself.
A Little Kid With Big Dreams
The first time JaQuan Hardy realized he couldn’t see, he was perched as close as he could get in front of the TV playing video games. He remembers his mother telling him to sit further back, but what seven year old kid wants to back away from his game?
“As a kid you’re in the moment, you’re not really thinking about the consequences,” he says. At the time though, he didn’t say anything about his struggle to see. He could still get by okay without glasses, so he kept his struggles to himself.
By seventh grade though, the problem became severe. “My vision was horrific, I needed to do something about it,” he says. Ever supportive, his family took him to get a pair of Timberland eyeglasses that he still remembers fondly to this day. “I wore them like there was no tomorrow,” he tells us, smiling.
But as he got older, he needed a better solution to his vision problems. JaQuan had played football since childhood, inspired by his brothers’ participation in the sport, and years spent playing a lot of Madden — one of his favorite video games.
As he got more and more serious about athletics, he needed a way to see clearly on the field. His everyday glasses weren’t suited for contact sports, and he found contacts difficult to wear.
Credit: nfldraftblitz.com
Clearly, contacts weren’t an ideal solution, but JaQuan made them work throughout his high school career. Meanwhile, he thrived on the football field and dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the sport. His hard work paid off, and he committed to Tiffin University.
Hurdles to Overcome
Once at college, he got his first pair of Rec Specs (which earned him the nickname “Goggles”) and started making big waves. But college came with its own set of unexpected challenges. Coming out of an amazing junior season, JaQuan had every reason to feel optimistic about his future. He had performed well and agents were reaching out. But shortly before the start of his final year in college, JaQuan began to realize things might not go according to plan: the Covid pandemic would prevent him from playing for his senior year.
At that point, he realized he had two options. “I could either stay for another year in college…or I could bet on myself and go to the league,” he says. Ultimately, he said, “I honestly was more comfortable with betting on myself.”
It was a good bet.
He continued to work hard, and said on his pro day “The teams bet on me as well. A lot of teams came out to see me for my pro day…I want to say eighteen teams came out.”
Credit: https://www.dallascowboys.com/video/jaquan-hardy-will-not-be-denied-on-physical-td
And although, in the end, JaQuan wasn’t drafted, he still managed to sign on with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. He remembers being incredibly emotional the moment he found out. “I remember a lot of people calling me, and my parents being proud of me,” he says. “I was proud of myself, to see myself get there, and just know that there’s still more to come.”
JaQuan Keeps Striving
Now, having achieved his goal of making it to the NFL, JaQuan isn’t done following his passions. Channeling his lifelong love of video games, JaQuan games online several times throughout the week and streams from his Twitch channel. Twitch is a platform he feels passionately about, noting its diversity.
“I feel like one of the biggest things on Twitch is, you’ll find somebody that you would have never thought you would see on there. Whether they were a celebrity, a regular person, it doesn’t matter. You’d be surprised who you find on there. Because it’s the internet, it’s not female, male, you know.”
And as with his other pursuits, JaQuan is always striving to get better. Whatever the game is, he wants to rack up as many points as he can. Early experiences playing Pac-Man and Madden “made me a competitive beast,” he says, laughing.
Credit: JaQuan Hardy
He still tirelessly chases his high score and is in constant pursuit of a better performance. “I try to be my biggest fan,” he says. “I watch my old streams and I’m like, ‘Okay I could have done this better.’” That hunger for self-improvement has taken him to several online gaming tournaments, including the Streamer Bowl in California, and he hopes it will help him continue to grow his audience online. “Streaming is a big thing for me,” he says, “but connecting with people is even more [important].”
In both football and online gaming, JaQuan plans to keep reaching for his goals and leading by example. “I’m here, just ready to take advantage of every opportunity thrown my way,” he says.
Whatever the future has in store, it’s probably safe to bet on JaQuan.
In case you’re wondering…
Turns out SportRx has Cowboy fans, but we had no idea we had Cowboys who were fans of ours… When JaQuan’s agent, Evan Pobuta, reached out telling us he asked for our help by name we were thrilled. After learning all about JaQuan we came up with three pairs to carry him on the field, off the field, and into the twitch arena. Check out the selection of frames JaQuan wears and loves.
ON THE FIELD
Rec Specs Helmet Spex
Rec Specs Helmet Spex in Matte Black Crimson
Shop Rec Specs Helmet Spex
FOR THE SUN
SportRx Huckson
SportRx Huckson in Matte Grey
Shop SportRx Huckson
SCREEN TIME COMPETITION
Oakley NXTLVL
Oakley NXTLVL with Satin Black Frames
Shop Oakley NXTLVL
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