DALLAS, Texas – The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame announced Monday (Jan. 10) that University of Michigan four-time All-Big Ten performer Mark Messner has been named to the 2022 College Football of Fame Class. Messner is the 33rd player and 39th overall individual from Michigan to be selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Messner started all 49 games at defensive tackle for the Wolverines from 1985-88. A native of Hartland, Mich., and Catholic Central High School, Messner holds Michigan career records for tackles for loss (70) and sacks (36), while accumulating 248 tackles during that time frame. He (1987-88) and Brandon Graham (2008-09) are the only players in school history to record consecutive seasons with 20-plus tackles for loss. Messner still holds the Michigan record for sacks in a game with five against Northwestern in 1987.
He was a member of two Big Ten Championship teams (1986 and 1988) and four teams that finished in the top 20 of the final national polls, including the 1985 squad that finished No. 2 after defeating Nebraska in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl. Messner helped Michigan win three bowl games during his time in Ann Arbor: 1986 Fiesta Bowl, 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl and 1989 Rose Bowl. He was also selected as the Co-MVP of the Fiesta Bowl victory over Nebraska.
Messner is one of three players in conference history to be selected as a first-team All-Big Ten performer all four years; Michigan Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson (1997-2000) and Michigan State punter Ray Stachowitz (1977-80) are the other four-time All-Big Ten players. Messner was also selected as the 1988 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was a two-time first-team All-American (1987-88) and was a finalist for the 1988 Rotary Lombardi Award.
After graduating from Michigan, Messner was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He played one season with organization before retiring due to a serious knee injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game. Messner is the Market Vice President for Konica Minolta Business Solutions, managing the entire state of Florida for the company.
Messner will be inducted at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
