 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 

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.