Sam Hartman can’t recall the moment he was handed a football for the first time. It’s just part of who he is, always.
“My first memories were fishing on Lake Norman and then throwing a football,” he stated.
The native of Charlotte has pursued this interest all the way to the draft stage. Hartman will play in the 75th anniversary Reese’s Senior Bowl (1 p.m. EST, NFL Network) this weekend, his final game in a college uniform. The finest prospects in the draft class are shown up close to NFL scouts during the all-star week of practices and the game. The former Davidson Day player has made a name for himself as one of those prospects following a protracted academic career at Wake Forest and Notre Dame.
However, that route began in the Queen City. It began, in a sense, in the Bank of America Stadium stands.
“My parents owned PSLs when I was growing up. This week, while in Mobile, Hartman recalled, “We did it all.”I was a huge fan of Steve Smith Sr. and Jake Delhomme. I have a soft spot in my heart for Charlotte and I always enjoyed watching Jake hit a deep ball down the field.
Delhomme led 17 comebacks in the fourth quarter during his seven-year tenure in Charlotte, a franchise record. In addition to leading seven fourth-quarterback comebacks—six at Wake Forest and one at Notre Dame—the boy in the stands watching him would go on to become the record holder for career passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. He would also have the most touchdown passes in conference history—110—and the second-highest passing yards—12,967.
