INDIANAPOLIS — As we are in our second day of the NCAA tournament, many brackets may have already been busted by now but for one family, those brackets mean a whole lot more.
“Dad was an incredible family guy so everything he did really was to raise the family up and keep us together,” Russ Hart said.
Nelson Hart had a love for basketball and started the Hart family bracket back in 1981.
“In 1981, he started a family pool without the plaque,” Russ said.
A couple of years later, the rest was history. Every year, the family gets together to fill out their own bracket.
It started with about six family members.
“Dad was an incredible family guy,” Russ said. “He knew by doing this, all these future generations would stay together every March. Our whole extended family are together just like we’re doing it right now.”
Nelson Hart passed away in 2019 but the family bracket never stopped.
“It’s always very special to us. If you look at the plaque, it says, 'In memory of Nelson Hart,'” Mark Hart said.
His wife, Jo Ann, helps to carry the tradition.
“You have to be a Hart. If you are engaged and going to get married three days after the tournament stats, you can’t be in this,” Russ said.
Now, it’s grown to about 42 participants.
The winner gets their name etched on the plaque, which is titled NCAA Basketball Hall of Fame.
“The plaque travels to every household,” Tom Hart added.
At the end the day, win or lose, the Hart's will tell you this is all about family.
“This has been a great way for us to stay together,” Russ said.
The Hart family tells WRTV that despite Nelson’s wife being a diehard IU fan, she is going with Purdue to win it all.
