Hoernschemeyer was born in 1925 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Cincinnati's Elder High School, where he became an all-city football player. During a 1942 game, he accounted for all 27 points scored by Elder, on touchdown runs of 21 and 41 yards, a touchdown pass, an interception return of 45 yards for a fourth touchdown and three extra points.
College football
Hoernschemeyer enrolled at Indiana University. He began playing for Bo McMillin's Indiana Hoosiers football team at age 17 in 1943. He led the NCAA in 1943 with 1,648 yards of total offense and 1,133 passing yards. In 1944, Hoernschemeyer was inducted into the United States Navy. He was assigned to the Bainbridge Navy Training Center in Maryland, but he was granted a "special order discharge" allowing him to return to Indiana in the fall of 1944, pending his entry into the United States Military Academy. He missed the first game of Indiana's 1944 season but returned to campus two days before the team's game against Illinois. He played only 18 minutes against Illinois. After returning to the starting lineup, he helped lead the 1944 Hoosiers to shutout victories over Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, and Pittsburgh. In the summer of 1945, Hoernschemeyer entered the Naval Academy. Playing at the quarterback position, he helped lead the 1945 Navy Midshipmen football team to a 7–1–1 record and a #3 ranking in the final AP Poll, with the only loss coming to #1 Army. He left the Naval Academy in February 1946 "due to academic deficiencies."
Professional football
AAFC
In July 1946, Hoernschemeyer signed to play with the Chicago Rockets in the All-America Football Conference. As a rookie, he ranked among the AAFC leaders with 1,266 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 375 rushing yards, 366 punt and kick return yards, and 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. After playing the first two games of the 1947 season with the Rockets, Hoernschemeyer was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in a three-team deal that sent the league's 1946 MVP Glenn Dobbs from the Dodgers to the Los Angeles Dons and 1943 Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli to the Rockets. Hoernschemeyer was again among the AAFC leaders in 1947 with 704 rushing yards and 926 passing yards. On October 17, 1947, he broke two AAFC records in a game against the Buffalo Bills – an 84-yard run and 179 yards for the game. He continued to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948. When the Dodgers merged with the New York Yankees in early 1949, Hoernschemeyer was assigned to the Chicago team by then known as the Hornets. Playing at the halfback position for the Hornets in 1949, he was among the AAFC leaders with 1,519 yards of total offense, 1,063 passing yards, 456 rushing yards, and 373 kick return yards. When the AAFC folded, Hoernschemeyer, with five years experience, held the league record for total offense as a passer and rusher.
When the AAFC folded, Hoernschemeyer was selected by the Detroit Lions in a special draft of AAFC talent conducted in June 1950. In his first NFL season, he led the Lions with 471 rushing yards on 84 carries, and his average of 5.6 yards per carry was the third highest in the NFL. On Thanksgiving Day 1953, he set two Detroit club records, rushing for 198 yards and a 96-yard touchdown run against the New York Yankees. His 96-yard run remains tied for the sixth longest in NFL history. He led the Lions in rushing again in 1951 with 678 yards on 132 carries. He helped lead the 1951 Lions to a 7–4–1 record and second place in the NFL National Division. For the second year in a row, his biggest play occurred on Thanksgiving Day, this time an 85-yard run against the Green Bay Packers that proved to be the longest run of the year in the NFL. After the 1951 season, he was selected to play in the 1952 Pro Bowl. In his third NFL season, he helped the 1952 Detroit Lions win the NFL championship. For the third consecutive season, he led the team in rushing yards. In the post-season, he rushed 18 times for 76 yards and a touchdown. After the 1952 season, Hoernschemeyer was selected as second-team All-Pro by both the Associated Press and United Press. He was also selected to play in the 1953 Pro Bowl. In 1953, he led the Lions in rushing for the fourth consecutive year, helping the Lions win their second consecutive NFL championship. He was selected by the United Press as a second-team All-Pro player in 1953. Hoernschemeyer remained with the Lions during the 1954 and 1955 seasons, but his production declined to 242 rushing yards in 1954 and 109 rushing yards in 1955. He suffered a shoulder separation against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 13, 1955, ending his NFL career at age 30. The Professional Football Researchers Association named Hoernschemeyer to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2008
Later years
After retiring from football, Hoernschemeyer and former Lions teammate, Jug Girard, operated a bar known as the Lions Den on Detroit's east side. He owned the bar until 1966. In 1968, he began working for the Ford Motor Company where he remained until his death. Hoernschemeyer and his wife, Marybelle had a son and three daughters. In June 1980, after a 62-day hospitalization and a two-year fight with cancer, he died at St. Johns Hospital in Detroit at age 54.
