July 11, 2006

Brian Hardin, a member of the NFL Chicago Bears media relations staff the last three seasons, has been named director of football media relations at the University of Notre Dame.

Hardin will work with Irish head coach Charlie Weis, Notre Dame players and assistant coaches while serving as the primary day-to-day liaison with the media. He will coordinate interviews and oversee production of football publications and various other football publicity items, as well as work closely with football game-day operations and all other aspects of the football program as it pertains to media relations and sports information.

Hardin spent the last two seasons as a media relations assistant with the Bears, assisting in all aspects of public relations for the 2005 NFL Central Division champions. His responsibilities included coordinating interviews for players and coaches, including working with a handful of specific players, writing and editing media guide and game program materials and partnering in the production of the team’s weekly game notes packages.

As a media relations intern during the 2003 seasons, the Des Moines, Iowa, native assisted with many of the same functions within the team’s public relations operation. He also spent one season as an intern in the Loyola University sports information office in Chicago – serving as the primary contact for cross country and track and field, women’s soccer and men’s volleyball and assisting with men’s and women’s basketball.

A 2002 graduate of Marquette University, Hardin earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He was a four-year letterwinner in track at Marquette, captaining the team as a senior, and also assisted in the sports information department as a senior, working with men’s golf and assisting with men’s basketball.

He also has worked the 2002 NCAA Women’s Basketball Mideast Regional (in Milwaukee, with Marquette the host), the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Miller Park in Milwaukee and the 2004 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Hardin begins his new responsibilities July 24. He replaces Doug Walker, who accepted a position in May as associate athletics director for media relations at the University of Alabama.