 Hennings at a speaking engagement | |||||||||||||
| No. 95 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1965-10-20)October 20, 1965 (age 59) Elberon, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 287 lb (130 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Benton (Van Horne, Iowa) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Air Force (1984–1987) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1988: 11th round, 290th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Chad William Hennings (born October 20, 1965) is an American former professionalfootballdefensive tackle who played for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theAir Force Falcons, earningunanimous All-American honors and winning theOutland Trophy in 1987.
Facing an obligation to enter theAir Force upon graduating from theAcademy, Hennings was selected in the 11th round of the1988 NFL draft by the Cowboys. He played in the NFL from 1992 to 2000, winning threeSuper Bowls.
While atBenton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa, Hennings became an All-state footballtight end and the state heavyweight wrestling champion his senior year.[1]
After being offered full scholarships from different universities he chose to attend theUnited States Air Force Academy, nearColorado Springs. Lettering as a freshman in 1984, he started his college football career as atight end before being switched to the defensive line as a sophomore.
Hennings was moved todefensive tackle in his sophomore season, became a starter and made the All--WAC second-team. That1985 season was the greatest in Air Force history as the Falcons went 12–1, were conference co-champions, defeatedTexas in theBluebonnet Bowl and placed fifth in the final coaches poll. During his junior year in 1986, he became a dominant defensive player, was named to the first of two All-Conference teams, the first of twoAcademic All-American teams and the second of three Academic All-WAC honors.
His senior year in 1987, he led the nation with 24 sacks, was a unanimous first-teamAll-American selection, received the Stan Bates Award as the conference's top scholar-athlete, earned defensive player of the year honors from theWestern Athletic Conference and theOutland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman. He also played in numerous postseason all-star games including the Japan Bowl and theEast-West Shrine Game.[2]
Hennings is a member of theWestern Athletic Conference all-time team and was namedWAC defensive player of the decade for the 1980s. He was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and was in the inaugural class of the Air Force Academy Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also inducted into the GTE Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in June 1988, Hennings entered undergraduate pilot training at Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita Falls, Texas, as part of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program conducted by the 80th Flying Training Wing. ENJJPT is an elite program, and when his ground training studies faltered (he had been an honor student at AFA), his squadron commander isolated him from all contact regarding theDallas Cowboys, who had drafted him in April 1989. After UPT, Hennings completed Lead-In Fighter Training and because of his size, was eligible only forF-111,F-15 Eagle, orA-10 Thunderbolt II RTU. He became an A-10 pilot and was assigned to the92d Tactical Fighter Squadron, a unit of the81st Tactical Fighter Wing based atRAF Bentwaters in theUnited Kingdom, in June 1990.
While with the 92d TFS, Hennings deployed twice to the Persian Gulf. From April to June 1991, and October 1991 to January 1992, based atIncirlik Air Base,Turkey, Henning flew 45 A-10 missions in support ofOperation Provide Comfort, an effort that helped provide relief and humanitarian aid toKurdish refugees in northernIraq. He was twice awarded theAir Force Achievement Medal, a humanitarian award and anOutstanding Unit Award for his actions in the service. He was promoted to captain on June 1, 1992.[3]
Because of his military commitment (originally 8 years because he chose to fly), he dropped in the1988 NFL draft until theDallas Cowboys took a chance and selected him in theeleventh round, with no indication of an early out from the Air Force.[4] President and general managerTex Schramm had also secured his rights by signing him to a multi-year contract with a $25,000 bonus in1988.[5]
After the 1991Gulf War, the United States military underwent an across the board reduction in budget and Hennings was able to have the remaining four years of his active-duty commitment (service academy and rated pilot) waived, which was unprecedented at the time. He continued service in the Air Force Reserve for nine years as a liaison officer to the Air Force Academy after his separation from active duty, then went into theIndividual Ready Reserve.[6]
While entering into theNFL, there were some rumors about the Cowboys trading him to theDenver Broncos, but whenJimmy Johnson saw his workout for the team, those plans were canceled.
In1992, he left theU.S. Air Force and joined theDallas Cowboys as a 26-year-old rookie, playing onspecial teams and quickly becoming a key reserve, on one of the bestdefensive line rotations in theNFL.[7]
In1995, he registered his first starts whileLeon Lett was serving a four-game suspension. The next year, he replacedRussell Maryland who left viafree agency to theOakland Raiders.
While his play on the field was very good, it was his attitude, character and leadership that was also valuable to the Cowboys teams of that decade, contributing to the top ranked defenses of the early nineties and winning 3Super Bowls in 4 years.
He spent nine seasons with the team, before retiring after missing half of the2000 season with injuries. He finished with 27.5 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries and onetouchdown in 107 games.
Hennings is married and has two children. Following his football career, Hennings became aChristian motivational speaker and author. His self-help book for men, "Rules of Engagement: Finding Friendship, Faith, and Strength in a Disconnected World" was published in 2009.
In November 2012, Hennings was named as a 2013 recipient of theNCAASilver Anniversary Award, presented each year to six distinguished former college student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the completion of their college sports careers.[8]
