Charles "Charlie" Taylor Hennigan Sr. (March 19, 1935 – December 20, 2017), also known as Charley Hennigan, was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver with the former Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). He attended Louisiana State University (LSU) for one year where he was on the track and field team, and then transferred to Northwestern State College where he was both on the track team and played college football for the Northwestern State Demons. Hennigan was a five-time AFL All-Star and was a three-time first-team All-AFL selection. He was named to the AFL All-Time Team's second team. Hennigan's career was cut short by a knee injury in 1966 after seven seasons, but he was in the top ten all-time in receptions and receiving yards when his career ended.
Hennigan set, or was a part of, numerous professional football receiving records. In 1961, during a 14-game season, Hennigan set a single season AFL/NFL record of 1,746 receiving yards, not broken until 1995 by Jerry Rice and Isaac Bruce. That 1961 record has been exceeded by ten players in total (through 2025), all playing during longer seasons of 16 or 17 games. The only one of those ten players in AFL/NFL history having more yards through 14 games in a season than Hennigan was Justin Jefferson.
Hennigan's 1961 record for most games with 100 or more yards receiving (10) in a season stood until 1995, when it was broken by Michael Irvin. In 1964, Hennigan set the AFL/NFL record with 101 receptions in a season; a record that stood until 1984 when Art Monk had 106 receptions in a 16-game season, and which has only been exceeded by players in 16- or 17-game seasons. The players breaking these records Hennigan set (Bruce, Irvin, Monk, and Rice) are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He was a member of the 1955 LSU mile relay team that won the Southeastern Conference championship. At Northwestern State he set school records in the 440-yard dash and 880-yard run, and was a Gulf States Conference (GSC) champion in those events, as well winning GSC championships as a member of relay teams. He was also a member of the Northwestern State football team that tied for the GSC title in 1957. Hennigan was named first-team All-GSC at halfback in 1957.
Early life Hennigan was born on March 19, 1935, in Bienville, Louisiana to C. Roland and Lura (Taylor) Hennigan. He was one of four children. His family moved to in Minden, Louisiana in 1943. Lura Hennigan served in the ministry and became the founder and pastor of Bethel Faith Temple Church in the 1950s.
Hennigan attended Minden High School. He was a member of the school's track and field team, football team, and basketball team. In May 1952, he was Louisiana's Class A 880-yard run high school track champion. In 1953, he won the 880-yard state championship again (also placing fourth in the 120-yard high hurdles).
Hennigan was a receiver on the Minden Crimson Tide football team. In 1952, the 160 lb (72.3 kg) Hennigan was honorable mention All-State as a receiver in football. He made the All-North Louisiana teams in football and track. Hennigan also played on Minden's basketball team.
College career
Because of his slight frame, Hennigan was considered a better athletic prospect as a runner in track and field, rather than as a football player. He originally attended Louisiana State University (LSU) on a track scholarship, focusing on his running the half-mile race. As a freshman, he solely participated in track at LSU, excelling in the half-mile run, and was not on the football team. However, Hennigan was unhappy at LSU for two reasons. He had been raised in a small town and was unaccustomed to being among large numbers of people, and he found LSU too big for his liking. Hennigan also wanted to play football, which he could not do at LSU, at least in part because he was so undersized as a freshman compared to the players who would be his teammates there.
LSU track coach Al Moreau and football coach Gaynell Tinsley convinced Hennigan not to leave LSU during his freshman year (1953–54). He stayed at LSU, placing fourth in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the 880-yard run and was part of LSU's SEC championship mile-relay team in 1954. After completing one year at LSU, Hennigan transferred to Northwestern State University (then Northwestern State College) in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he was able to participate in track and play football.
In May 1956 at Northwestern State, Hennigan set four school track records: in the quarter-mile run (47.9 seconds), the half-mile run (1 minute, 54.3 seconds), and as the anchor runner on two relay teams. That year, he was the Gulf States Conference champion in the 440-yard dash and 880-yard run. The 1956 track team won its fourth straight Gulf States Conference championship. In late March 1957, Hennigan anchored the mile relay and sprint medley relay teams that won the 80-school college division NSC relays. As a track star, his nickname was "the Horse".
Hennigan was unsuccessful playing end on the football team for the Northwestern State Demons as a sophomore because of his size (1955), and was moved to halfback for his junior (1956) and senior years (1957). As a halfback in 1956, he rushed for 354 yards, and caught three passes for 36 yards. In the 1956 game against arch-rival Louisiana Tech, Hennigan rushed for 50 yards, had a pass reception, and intercepted a fourth quarter pass while playing defense.
As a senior in 1957, he was co-captain of the football team that was co-champion of the Gulf States Conference. One of Hennigan's Northwestern State teammates was fullback Charley Tolar, who would become Hennigan's teammate with the Houston Oilers during the length of their AFL careers (1960 to 1966). In 1957, Hennigan was second on the team in rushing (behind Tolar) with 458 yards on 111 carries, second in pass receptions with 12 for 143 yards, and second in scoring with 36 points on six rushing touchdowns. He averaged nearly 51 yards per game in offense that season.
The Associated Press (AP) named Hennigan and Tolar first-team All-Gulf States Conference in 1957. He set a school record of 47.2 seconds in the 440-yard dash that still stood in 1973. He was a member of Northwestern State football and track teams that combined for five Gulf States Conference championships. He was coached by Walter Ledet at Northwestern State.
Professional career Hennigan was not selected in the 1958 National Football League draft after graduating. In May 1958, Hennigan signed a contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (later the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL)), but lasted only one month. After leaving Edmonton in 1958, he was given a commission in the United States Army as a second lieutenant under the ROTC program, and was assigned for six months to serve at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. He was next assigned to serve as a paratrooper at Fort Benning in Georgia. After leaving the military, Henningan worked for one year as a biology teacher at Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. He also served as head track coach and as an assistant coach on the school's football team.
At the end of 1959, Hennigan wrote to every professional football team in the NFL, CFL, and new American Football League (AFL) asking for a tryout. The Houston Oilers of the newly formed AFL were the only team to respond. In 1960, Hennigan hitchhiked from Louisiana to Houston to try out for the Oilers in the American Football League's inaugural season. In leaving his job, Hennigan told his employer at Jonesboro-Hodge that "I've got to do it because I love football". His teacher's salary was $2,700 per year, or $4,000 per year. Hennigan kept one of his teaching pay stubs taped to his football helmet to motivate himself, saying years later "'I used that as a motivational tool, to know I'd burned my bridges'".
Hennigan was a 25-year old rookie in his (and the Oilers) first AFL training camp, with a wife and two children. The Oilers first head coach was Lou Rymkus. During training camp, Rymkus and most of his assistant coaches wanted to release Hennigan. However, assistant coach Mac Speedie, who had been a star wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and would later enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, successfully insisted that Hennigan make the team. Once Hennigan joined the team, Speedie worked with him to make Hennigan a better receiver. Hennigan also attributed support from Billy Cannon, the Oilers star rookie from Louisiana and a friend of Hennigan's, with helping him make the team. Hennigan made $7,500 under his first contract with the Oilers.
Hennigan went on to spend his entire professional career with the Oilers (1960 to 1966). After the AFL's final season as a league independent of the NFL (1969), Hennigan held four AFL records: (1) most receptions in a season (101); (2) most receiving yards in a season (1,746); (3) most receptions in a single game (13); and (4) most receiving yards in a single game (272).
Rookie season (1960) On September 11, 1960, Hennigan scored the first touchdown in Oilers history, catching a 43-yard touchdown pass from Oilers' quarterback George Blanda in the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders. That year, Hennigan started 11 games with 44 pass receptions for 722 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 16.4 yard per catch. He and Blanda would be teammates for their entire careers in Houston.
The Oilers were 10–4 that season, winning the East Division, and led the AFL in passings yards. In the 1960 American Football League Championship Game, Hennigan caught four passes for 71 yards as the Oilers prevailed 24–16 to win the inaugural AFL title over the Los Angeles Chargers.
1961 record breaking season After a promising rookie season, in 1961, Hennigan started all 14 games and established himself as a superstar in the AFL by setting a single-season record with his league-leading 1,746 yards receiving. Hennigan had 82 receptions that season, second to Lionel Taylor who had 100 receptions. Hennigan averaged 21.3 yards per reception and had 12 touchdown receptions (both second in the AFL to teammate Bill Groman), and a league-leading 124.7 yards per game. In October alone, Hennigan had 822 receiving yards, with games of 101 yards,109 yards, 272 yards, 108 yards, and 232 yards; the most in a single calendar month.
Hennigan had three games with over 200 receiving yards that season. Through at least 2017, this was still the all-time record for most games in a season with over 200 yards receiving. He set the all-time AFL single game record of 272 receiving yards against the Boston Patriots on October 13, 1961; 11th most in AFL/NFL history (as of 2025). The 13 passes Hennigan caught in that game is tied for the most ever in the AFL, shared with Lance Alworth, Lionel Taylor, and Sid Blanks (on September 12, 1964 with the Oilers though Blanks has also been reported as having only 12 in that game). On October 29 against the Buffalo Bills, Hennigan had nine receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns. This included an 80-yard touchdown reception from George Blanda. On December 3 he had ten receptions for 214 yards and three touchdowns, in a game against the San Diego Chargers.
Hennigan was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game, and was named first-team All-AFL by the AFL, Associated Press (AP), The Sporting News, and United Press International (UPI). The Oilers were 10–3–1, and again won the East Division. They led the AFL in passing yards (4,392), with over 1,500 more yards than the next best San Diego Chargers. This was the first time in professional football a team had passed for over 4,000 yards. In the 1961 American Football League Championship Game, Hennigan had five catches for 43 yards as the Oilers prevailed over the Chargers, 10–3, for their second and final AFL title.