Cal Football: Linebacker Great Hardy Nickerson Nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame

A 16-year pro, Nickerson remains No. 8 on the all-time NFL career tackles list.

Hardy Nickerson, the former Cal linebacker who ranks eighth in career tackles in NFL history, has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

Nickerson, 58, is among 173 modern-era nominees that includes nine in their first year of eligibility. Nickerson has previously been nominated.

Hardy Nickerson during his Cal days / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

Nickerson was a tackling machine at Cal and again for four NFL teams, primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was chosen earlier this year as the No. 63 entry in the Cal 100, assembled by Cal Sports Report.

A five-time Pro Bowl selection, he led the NFL with 214 tackles in 1993 with Tampa, when he was a first-team AP All-Pro selection and finished sixth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Nickerson finished his 16-year professional career with 1,586 tackles, 12 interceptions, 21 sacks and 14 fumble recoveries in 225 games, including 200 starts. He had at least 100 tackles in eight different seasons.

He was voted to the 1990s NFL all-decade team.

Four of the seven players ahead of him on the all-time NFL tackles list — Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, Zach Thomas and Derrick Brooks — already are Hall of Famers.

London Fletcher and Jessie Tuggle, two of the other three ahead of him on the tackles ladder, also are 2024 Hall nominees.

At Cal from 1983 through ’86, playing for the late Joe Kapp, Nickerson compiled 501 tackles and earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors as a senior. In 1985, he had 167 tackles, which remains the program record until Evan Weaver had 182 in 2019.

Combining his college and professional stats, Nickerson totaled 2,087 tackles over 20 seasons. He came to Cal after a decorated career at Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles.

Other 2024 nominees include Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, Jamal Lewis, Anquan Boldin, Irving Fryar, Andre Rison, Antonio Gates, Nate Newton, Jeff Saturday, Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers, Simeon Rice, Tedy Bruschi and Darren Woodson.

Nineteen Finalists will be presented to the full 50-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting to choose the Class of 2024. That group will consist of 15 modern-era finalists and the already chosen seniors finalists Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael and Art Powell and coach/contributor finalist Buddy Parker.

Cover photo of Hardy Nickerson by USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo