Hardy Otto Nickerson (born September 1, 1965) is a former American football linebacker who played 16 seasons for four teams from 1987 to 2002 in the National Football League. He attended Verbum Dei High School, a Catholic school located in Watts, California. He earned a BA degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989. Nickerson spent the prime of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The hiring of head coaches Sam Wyche and Tony Dungy allowed Nickerson to play in the middle in both coaches' 4-3 defensive alignment (Nickerson played the 3-4 in Pittsburgh), sending Nickerson to five Pro Bowls and joining the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team.