Ted Hendricks

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Lore & Background

Hendricks was born on November 1, 1947, in Guatemala City to a Guatemalan-born mother of Italian descent and a father. His parents met in Guatemala while working for Pan American Airlines. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Hialeah, Florida. Hendricks was raised in Miami Springs, Florida. He was an honor student at Hialeah High School, where he competed in basketball, baseball, track and field and football. Hendricks was raised bilingual and speaks fluent Spanish. He received 4 scholarship offers (baseball, basketball, football and academic) from the University of Miami. He accepted the Academic scholarship and took the honors curriculum as a math major and psychology minor. He is best known for his football prowess while playing stand-up defensive end for the University of Miami during the 1966 through 1968 seasons. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1967 and 1968, and finished fifth in the 1968 Heisman Trophy voting. In 1968, he was named National Lineman of the Year by the United Press. While in college, Hendricks became a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. While playing for Miami, Hendricks recorded 139 solo tackles (leading the team among defensive linemen) and recovered 12 fumbles during his playing career. He recorded a career-high of 4 quarterback sacks against the University of Florida in 1968. In his junior year of 1967 he caused nine turnovers. It was at Miami that the tall, thin Hendricks gained the nickname "the Mad Stork." His Baltimore Colts teammate Mike Curtis attested to the appropriateness of the moniker, noting that when the 6'7" Hendricks ran with "those long, skinny legs flapping every which way...he really does look like a mad stork." Hendricks's Miami jersey was retired in 1997. In 1987, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2020, ESPN selected its list of the top 150 players in the history of college football, naming Hendricks at number 85. Hendricks was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. The Ted Hendricks Award is given annually to college football's top defensive end. The award is presented by his own 501(c)(3) foundation, the Ted Hendricks Foundation.

In Their Own Story

After being drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the second round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, Hendricks initially played defensive end before coach Don Shula converted him to linebacker. He started 69 consecutive games for the Colts, anchoring a unit that allowed only 6 rushing touchdowns in their Super Bowl V-winning season. In 1974, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers, where he earned consensus first-team All-Pro honors with seven blocked kicks and five interceptions. Following the collapse of the World Football League, Raiders owner Al Davis sent two first-round draft choices to the Packers for Hendricks' rights. In his first year with Oakland in 1975, coach John Madden used him sparingly due to a feud with Davis, starting only five games. However, after Madden eventually started him full-time, Hendricks helped the Raiders win Super Bowl XI and went on to play nine seasons with the team before retiring after 1983.

Reader's Guide

Hendricks began his professional football career as a second-round pick of the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. He was initially listed as a defensive end, which is why he had the unusual number (for a linebacker) of 83. After coach Don Shula converted him to linebacker, he entered the starting lineup in the sixth game of his rookie 1969 season, the beginning of 69 consecutive starts with the Colts. He made 32 tackles and 2 sacks on the quarterback and knocked down 2 passes and blocked a field goal. He played a key role in the Colts' 1970 Super Bowl V-winning season. He was the starting strong-side linebacker and recorded 67 tackles and 1-1/2 sacks while intercepting a pass. He also recorded 2 blocked kicks and knocked down 5 passes. He had the key sack of Oakland Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica in the AFC Championship Game. He was chosen to the first of four All-Pro selections in 1971 by the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers of America, the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), and Pro Football Weekly. He had 63 tackles and picked off 5 passes while batting away 7 passes. He also recorded 5 sacks and blocked 2 more kicks. He returned a fumble 31 yards for a touchdown. In 1972 Hendricks recorded 99 tackles, 6 sacks, knocked down 7 passes, intercepted two passes and blocked 2 field goals. The following season Hendricks made 86 tackles and 4 sacks (bringing his Colt total to 18-1/2) and picked off 3 passes (making his Colt total 11) for 33 yards, while batting away 7 passes for the third consecutive season and blocking a punt. He was named second-team All-Pro in both 1972 and 1973 by the NEA, first team All-Conference both years by the AP, and United Press International (UPI) named him first team All-Conference in 1972 and second team All-Conference in 1973. In his Colts career, Hendricks intercepted 11 passes, had five fumble recoveries (including one for a touchdown), and unofficially had 347 tackles and 18½ sacks. He played out his option with the Colts who then traded him to the Packers. One week after signing to begin play in 1975 with the World Football League's Jacksonville Sharks, Hendricks was traded along with a 1975 second-round pick from the Colts to the Green Bay Packers for Tom MacLeod and a 1975 eighth-round selection on August 13, 1974. He was assigned jersey no. 56. Hendricks was then in the second straight option yea

Did You Know?

• Hendricks was nicknamed 'the Mad Stork' and 'Kick 'Em in the head Ted.'
• He is the first Guatemalan-born player in the NFL.
• He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1967 and 1968 and finished fifth in the 1968 Heisman Trophy voting.
• Hendricks was a member of four Super Bowl-winning teams.