After Jason Morris took over as Owensboro Catholic’s Dean of Students, Ben Hardesty has stepped into the role of the school’s Athletic Director, having spent last year as the assistant AD. Hardesty’s career in athletics has spanned over 20 years, dating back to his time at Xavier, where he graduated with a degree in Sports Administration.
“Being able to see the background and get my feet wet as the Assistant AD has helped the transition into becoming AD pretty smooth,” Hardesty said. “Coach Morris left me in a great situation. He went into the AD situation and made it better, and that is what I hope to do. To build on what Jason Morris did as Athletic Director and make it better so whenever I leave down the road, it is easier for whoever comes in and replaces me.”
An Owensboro Catholic alumnus of the class of 2002, Hardesty has always aspired to become the school’s AD. After graduating, he spent a year at Lindsey Wilson on a basketball scholarship, before transferring to focus on his sports administration degree. While earning his degree, he spent a few years coaching basketball at the elementary and middle school level, before joining Perry Bailey’s coaching staff at Owensboro Catholic in 2009 for six years.
Stepping into his new role, Hardesty leaves the classroom after spending the past 17 years teaching psychology.
“That is one thing I will miss, the relationships you build with students,” Hardesty said. “But my job is to figure out how to still do that as Athletic Director and that is one of the things I am looking forward to doing.”
Hardesty will also no longer be the voice of Owensboro Catholic Sports Network, calling football and basketball games, a position he has held since he created the network in the fall of 2014. Now, Owensboro Catholic Sports Network will be run by Cromwell Radio, and it will continue to be dedicated to calling Owensboro Catholic games.
“That was my baby, something I fostered and helped listeners figure out how they could listen,” Hardesty said. “We went through all of the growth, were able to travel all over the state, and attend championship games at Kroger Field and Rupp Arena. That part of my life was an absolute blast, but it also helped me be able to form relationships with business, which in turn will help me as an athletic Director.”
In his first year as AD, Hardesty is striving to run the athletic department more efficiently and eliminate any redundancy and waste. He wants to make the fan and parent experience easier, be it on the sidelines of the school’s soccer field, or allowing parents working the concession stand to have better access to also watching the games.
“The fact that I am doing this at my alma mater is really special to me,” Hardesty said. “Just being able to serve and be a resource for athletes and parents at my school. I am so entrenched in this school system, having been doing this for almost 20 years. It is very important to me and means a lot. I am glad that I get to be the leader of the athletic director at Owensboro Catholic, help foster those relationships, and make everyone’s sports flourish. I am grateful to be in this position.”
