STAFF BIOS
Bruce Harper
played with the New York Jets for eight years, from 1977 to 1985. He
led the NFL with more than 2,000 all-purpose yards for two consecutive
years, and he led the AFC in the same category for four years. He was
voted the Jets MVP in 1980, was a two-time Pro Bowl alternate, and held
nine Jets records at one time. Several of those records stand today. In
2003, Bruce was selected as the Return Specialist on the Jets’ Four
Decade Team. Bruce is co-founding Director of “Heroes and Cool Kids.”
Bruce works as an ambassador with the New
York Jets and is a board member of the Lodi Boys and Girls Club, the
American Cancer Society, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation Board and United Water.Tim Regan
played professional soccer with the MetroStars of the MLS in 2003 and
2004. He was known as a rugged defender and midfielder who worked hard
on and off the field. In 2003, he earned the MetroStars Humanitarian of
the Year Award after becoming a pillar in the community. The following
season Tim helped the MetroStars get to the playoffs, and he started
and played 75 minutes in the first leg of the Eastern Conference
Semifinals against D.C. United. In college, Tim played for the Bradley
Braves and is one of just three players in Bradley history to earn four
all-conference awards. He also played and started a school-record 83
games for the Braves. Tim is the son of Joe and Joanne Regan. He
majored in English at Bradley and earned a spot on the Bradley Athletic
Director’s Honor Roll in each of his last three semesters. His older
brother, Marty, was a four-year Bradley soccer letterman and captained
the 1997 squad.
Keith Elias
played professional football for six years with the Giants and Colts of
the NFL and the Hitmen of the XFL. In addition to playing in the
backfield, he was also a standout special teams player. Keith
originally signed as a free agent in 1994 with the New York Giants,
where he saw action in the first two games before injuring his ankle
and missing the rest of the season. The following year, Keith earned
the Giants Unsung Hero Award from the NFL Player’s Association. In 1996
he was hampered by injuries and was ultimately placed on injured
reserve after tearing a ligament in his knee. Keith sat out the 1997
season and then signed with the Indianapolis Colts for the 1998 and
1999 seasons. He was the Colts’ special teams captain, and he led the
team in kickoff returns in 1998 with an average of 22.6 yards. He had
his career high in tackles with 17 in 1999, when he made the Pro Bowl
ballot. Keith signed with the Hitmen in the XFL for the 2001 season. He
started 5 games for the Hitmen and led them in rushing before he
retired mid-season to accept a position as the team’s special teams
coach. Previously, Keith played four years of college football at
Princeton University, where he holds 21 career records and was a
unanimous two-time All-America, a two-time All-ECAC, and a two-time
All-Ivy League selection. After retiring from the NFL, Keith accepted a
position as Vice President of Investments for First Ivy Capital, where
he helped them raise $29 million for their Healthcare Fund. Upon
leaving Ivy, Keith became increasingly involved in youth and youth
ministry. He and his brother Brian have written 16 screenplays and are
currently working on a pilot for a TV show. Most recently, he has
joined Hemo-Concepts as the Vice President of Business Development to
help raise capital and aid in the international launch of the
Integrated Blood Conservation Company.
Versatility is the name of the game for Larry Hardesty,
a veteran of the broadcasting business with over twenty years
experience. Currently, Hardesty is the sideline reporter for all NY
Jets home games on the Jets Radio Network. He is a sports anchor,
reporter and talk show host for 1050 ESPN Radio, the flagship station
for the ESPN Radio Network. Hardesty is also a frequent contributor to
News 12 NJ as a freelance sports reporter and anchor. Hardesty began
his career as Sports Director for WBLS-FM and WLIB-AM-the flagship
stations of the InnerCity Broadcasting Corporation, where he served as
sports reporter, anchor and talk show host for over a decade. Hardesty
has received numerous awards including his induction into the City
College of New York Journalism Hall of Fame for his work in the field
of Broadcast Journalism in 2004.Tim Bassett
was the No. 2 pick in the 1973 ABA draft and spent his first season as
a professional basketball player with the San Diego Conquistadors under
the guidance of coach Wilt Chamberlain. That season he earned
All-Rookie honors and set a record for offensive rebounds in a game
with 18. In 1974, Tim was traded to the New York Nets, where he played
alongside “Dr. J” Julius Erving and was captain of the two-time ABA
World Championship team. He stayed with the Nets through their change
to the NBA in 1976 and then through their move to become the New Jersey
Nets in 1997. In 1980, Tim played a season for the San Antonio Spurs.
The next season he traveled to Europe to play for Italian League
champions Cagiva Varese until 1983. Before playing professionally, Tim
played basketball for the College of Southern Idaho from 1969 to 1971,
and then the University of Georgia from 1971 to 1973. Southern Idaho
retired his number in 2003. Currently, Tim is a partner and
vice-president of Management Consultant Group, based out of San
Antonio, Texas. He also hosts an online talk show called NBA InBounds
on Sportsnetamerica.com and co-hosts a sports and politics talk show on
WLIB Radio 1190am called Sporting Blues.
John Celestand was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with
the No. 30 overall pick of the1999 NBA draft, as a 6'4" point guard out
of Villanova University. He was a member of the Lakers' 1999-2000
championship team and spent several years playing professionally on
some of the most famous European teams in Italy, France, Germany, and
the Ukraine. Currently, John serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN
Regional Television, ESPNU and ESPN Classic, covering Big East
Conference College basketball games. He also covers Big East basketball
as a studio analyst for SportsNet New York and as a radio color analyst
for ISP Sports Radio. Additionally, John has worked as a writer for
Dime Magazine, Slam Magazine, and also writes his own column on SNY’s
website. John was born March 6, 1977, in Houston, Texas. He attended
Piscataway High School in Piscataway, N.J., graduating in 1995. He was
a New Jersey First Team All-State basketball player winning two
Middlesex County championships in 1994 and 1995 and a Group IV state
championship in 1994. He was voted as one of the top 50 basketball
players in the country in 1995.
Lindsay Berra
began working at ESPN Magazine in 1999 after graduating from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in
Journalism. In nine years, she has moved her way up from freelance
fact-checker to senior writer. While she spends the majority of her
time covering hockey and tennis, she has covered a wide variety of
additional sports, from boxing and baseball to snowboarding and roller
derby. In addition, she also often writes for ESPN.com and has appeared
on television on ESPN and ABC. At UNC, Lindsay played two years of
varsity softball and four years of men’s club ice hockey. She graduated
from Livingston High School in Livingston, N.J., where she was an
All-Conference softball player and captain of the boys’ ice hockey
team. She is currently on the board of directors of the Yogi Berra
Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, N.J. While her writing
assignments take her around the world, Lindsay still finds time to be
an avid runner and aspiring triathlete. She also enjoys hiking and
climbing mountains, the highest of which was Tanzania’s Mt.
Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet.
Harry Flaherty
played football professionally in the NFL and USFL for several years
after graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, where he was a
four-year football scholarship recipient. At Holy Cross, Harry became
the all-time leading tackler with 447 career tackles – a record he
still holds. For his efforts, he was inducted into the Holy Cross
College Hall of Fame (1995), Jersey Shore Sports Hall of Fame (1997)
and Red Bank Catholic HS Hall of Fame (2000). Currently, Harry works
for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of New Jersey. He and his
wife, Janine, reside in Red Bank, N.J., with their five children:
Harry, Zachary, Jacob, Abigail and Jesse.
Jackie Ferranti
is a graduate student at Montclair State University, where she is also
an assistant coach of the softball team. She recently graduated from
Montclair with a Bachelor of Science degree and a teaching
certification in physical education and health. While a student at
Montclair, she played softball for four years. During the four years,
she received such accomplishments as First Team All-American,
All-Academic All-American, NJAC Female Athlete of the Year, and many
more. Jackie is working towards becoming a teacher and is enjoying her
time with Heroes & Cool Kids. 