and high school All-American honors as a senior, and graduated in 1984. He was later inducted into both the Catholic Central and Catholic League Halls of Fame. University of Michigan Messner enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1984 and played college football as a defensive tackle for head coach Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1985 to 1988. At six feet, three inches, Messner was small for his position. He adjusted for his size by playing with speed and intelligence. Messner once described his approach as follows: "I try to move with quickness toward his weakness. I try to get away from where he is leaning, like a matador steps around a bull." The Los Angeles Times in January 1989 called him "a quarterback's worst enemy." Another writer described him as "a combination Dennis the Menace and Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher with a cowlick" and "Aristotle in a jockstrap." Messner noted that it was his goal to play with "youthful intensity" like "a young kid." 1985 season Messner was a redshirt who did not play during the 1984 season. As a redshirt freshman, he started all 12 games at defensive tackle for the 1985 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 10-1-1 record, was ranked #2 in the final AP Poll, held opponents to 75 points in the regular season (6.8 points per game), and defeated Nebraska in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl. Despite his lack of college experience, Messner set a new Michigan record in 1985 with 11 quarterback sacks and also totaled 71 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Game in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl after he registered nine tackles, forced a fumble, and recovered another. He was also selected as a first-team defensive lineman on the 1985 All-Big Ten team. 1986 season In his second year, Messner started all 13 games at defensive tackle for the 1986 Michigan team that compiled an 11-2 record, tied for the Big Ten Conference championship, and lost to Arizona State in the 1987 Rose Bowl. For the second consecutive year, Messner was selected as a first-team defensive lineman on the All-Big Ten team. 1987 season As a junior, Messner again started every game, 12 in all, at defensive tackle for the 1987 Wolverines. He had 11 sacks during the 1987 season. His five sacks against Northwestern on October 31, 1987,