Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio—
ESTABLISHED IN 1963
Penn State has 6 HOF members who were elected for their performance as players in the NFL
Enshrinement Class of 1964—August “Mike” Michalske (Penn State Guard/HB/FB 1923-1925) inducted as a Guard who played professionally for the New York Yankees (AFL 1926, NFL 1927-28) & Green Bay Packers (NFL 1929-35, 1937)—Won NFL Championships with the Packers 1929, 1930, & 1931
Enshrinement Class of 1975—Lenny Moore (Penn State HB 1953-1955) inducted as a Running Back who played for the Baltimore Colts (NFL 1956-67)—Won NFL Championships with the Colts in 1958 & 1959
Enshrinement Class of 1988—Jack Ham (Penn State LB 1968-1970) inducted as a Linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL 1971-82)—Won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, & XIV with the Steelers—Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990 making him the first Penn Stater to be elected to both Halls of Fame
Enshrinement Class of 1990—Franco Harris (Penn State FB 1969-1971) inducted as a Running Back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL 1972-83) & Seattle Seahawks (NFL 1984)—Won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, & XIV with the Steelers/Super Bowl IX MVP—His election, with Ham’s 2 years earlier, marked the first time that two former PSU teammates were enshrined in Canton
Enshrinement Class of 2001—Mike Munchak (Penn State OG 1979-1981) inducted as a Guard who played for the Houston Oilers (NFL 1982-93)—Was Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans (NFL 2011-13)
Enshrinement Class of 2013—Dave Robinson (Penn State End/DE 1960-1962) inducted as a Linebacker who played for the Green Bay Packers (NFL 1963-72) & Washington Redskins (NFL 1973-74)—Won Super Bowls I & II with the Packers—Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997
CLASS OF 2026 Candidate—Steve Wisniewski (1985-88) OG (2-time semi-finalist)
(one of 52 remaining Modern-era candidates as of Oct. 22, 2025)
Nittany Notes:
Penn State’s first Pro Football Hall of Famer, Mike Michalske, is probably its least remembered of the bunch having played for the Nittany Lions over a century ago. Quite likely, his most memorable game at State was the 1925 battle with Michigan State at New Beaver Field.
The game was played in late October in a chilly, constant downpour that left the field a muddy mess. Weather helped keep attendance down to around 4-thousand, and it probably didn’t help that the more attractive home game with Notre Dame was just two weeks away. Reports vary, but everyone seems to agree that there were a lot of fumbles—as many as 11 for Penn State and 6 or 7 for Michigan State. And everyone agrees that the Aggies, as they were still known then, won that battle for the most part.
In an effort to give the running game a boost, Michalske was shifted from the line to Fullback by coach Hugo Bezdek. The move paid big dividends. In the first quarter, the Lions move 75 yards in 8 plays with Michalske carrying the ball the final 8 yards for the TD (Michalske’s point-after kick was no good and, per some accounts, may have been blocked) and it was 6-0 Penn State. In the second period, a blocked Aggie punt sets-up Penn State again. From just shy of the 10-yard line, Michalske runs right, sheds four tacklers and reaches the endzone for his 2nd TD of the day and it’s 13-0. The Lions and the rain keep the Aggies in check the rest of the way for the huge 13-6 victory. Penn State would not beat Michigan State again until 1993 and the first Land Grant Trophy game.
Despite Michalske’s 2 touchdown performance, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spelled his name wrong in their game headline the next day (Micheleske). This might have been the result of the game information having been sent to the paper by “special telegram”.