Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 21 -- Hardy Nickerson, NFL Mega-Tackler

We are counting down Cal’s top 50 athletes based on their careers as post-collegiate professionals. Their performance as Golden Bears is not factored into the rankings.

21. HARDY NICKERSON

Years at Cal: 1983 to 1986

Sport: Football

Pro teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers

Age: 59

Hometown: Compton, Calif.

Why we ranked him here: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round in 1987, Nickerson excelled at linebacker over 16 seasons in the NFL. At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Nickerson made his way into the starting lineup by his second season and collected 99 tackles. He had the first of seven seasons with at least 100 tackles in in 1992, his final season in Pittsburgh. Nickerson signed a three-year, $5.1 million free-agent deal with Tampa Bay in the spring of 1993 and responded with his best season: a career-high and NFL-leading 214 tackles, the first of his five Pro Bowl invites and a first-team AP All-Pro selection. He was a Pro Bowl pick every season from 1996 through ’99, was a first-team All-Pro honoree for the second time in ’97 and earned second-team recognition in ’96 and ’99. Nickerson played two seasons (2000-01) with Jacksonville and his final year at Green Bay (2002). He completed his career with 1,586 tackles, which ranks 10th in NFL history, along with 14 fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions. Nickerson won the NFLPA Alan Page Community Service Award in 1997 and was named to Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1990s second team.

Hardy Nickerson at Cal | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

At Cal: Nickerson came to Berkeley from Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles, where he led the Eagles to a 25-game win streak including 13 shutouts. He racked up 141 tackles as a sophomore at Cal in 1984 to earn All-Pac-10 second-team honors. He was named to the all-conference first team in ’85 after setting a Cal single-season record with 167 tackles that was unbroken until Evan Weaver surpassed it in 2019. Nickerson had 132 tackles as a senior when he landed on the All-Pac-10 second team. He finished his career with 501 tackles, still second on the Bears’ all-time list. Nickerson was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Other: Since 2007, Nickerson has coached at every level, including stints with the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers. He also served as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Illinois, where he coached his son, Hardy Nickerson Jr. The older Nickerson has worked two different stretches as head coach at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, including for the past three seasons.

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