Events honoring Hilliard and Bednarik spotlight Liberty's sports legacy

Two Liberty High sports icons. Two different sports. Two very different generations.

But make no mistake, while they are two very different people, Chuck Bednarik and Darrun Hilliard featured the same work ethic and desire to succeed.

That's why a plaque of Bednarik was dedicated inside Memorial Gym on Friday afternoon and why, maybe, Hilliard will have the same honor one day.

Both men took center stage last week.

Hilliard was featured on Wednesday night as part of a special Villanova night at the SteelStacks sponsored by the Christmas City Classic, the high school basketball tournament held in honor of the late George Yasso and Todd Rothrock.

Hilliard, who is coming off a big sophomore season with the Wildcats, is looking forward to two more years filled with promise on the Main Line.

Two days later, Bednarik took a bow as Liberty honored him in two separate ceremonies culminating with the unveiling of a new statue at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.

Current Liberty student-athletes enjoyed the Bednarik festivities and would have loved the question-and-answer session with Hilliard. The Hurricanes boys basketball team saw both events.

Hopefully they got more out of it than just a night out or time out of the classroom. Hopefully, the idea that hard work can lead to success resonated.

"You try to get that message across to kids and these two very special events brought it home," Liberty basketball coach Chad Landis said. "Bethlehem has changed a lot over the years, but a lot of those underlying principles are all over the place around here."

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Events honoring Hilliard and Bednarik spotlight Liberty's sports legacy