Charlie Hennigan (1 Viewer)

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

I hadn't before, but I was playing around with the data dominator and came across what might be two of the top ten greatest individual receiving season performances ever.

He played for Houston from 1960-1966, making five pro bowls and three first team all pros; no hall of fame.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HennCh00.htm

1961:

14 Games, 82 Receptions, 1746 Yards, 12TDs

1964:

14 Games, 101 Receptions, 1546 Yards, 8TDs.

I know it is unfair to do, but here are those seasons pro-rated to a 16 game sched.

1961:

16 Games, 94 Receptions, 1996 Yards, 14TDs

1964:

16 Games, 115 Receptions, 1767 Yards, 9TDs.

I wasn't around back then, but I always thought I knew the hostory of the game fairly well; not sure how this guy slipped through the cracks.

 

[Mr. Peterson]

What did the guy do 1961-1963?

And it's strange he only played 7 seasons. He was 25 his rookie season. He had a pretty good rookie season too.

44 catches 722yds 6 td's in only 11 games.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

What did the guy do 1961-1963?

Check out the link to his page at PFR. Considering it was only 14 games back then, his five year run from 60'-64' was pretty damn amazing. 65' was average, 66' was pretty lousy, and then it looks like he retired.Can't find a whole lot of info on the guy out there.

 

[Couch Potato]

I remember his name being mentioned a lot in the mid-60s. I was a wee tot of about 7 or 8, but already a big time Raiders fan, and the Oilers were one of the really good teams in some of those years. But I can't tell you I remember anything in detail, just his name mentioned a lot on TV when he played against OAK.

 

[Couch Potato]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

 

[SteveHHMD]

Hello folks. Here's the story about my dad Charlie Hennigan. He played running back for a small college in Louisiana. Didn't get drafted. Went into the army then settled in Jonesboro, LA to teach school. When he heard about the new AFL in 1959, he contacted Dub Jones, who had played wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns long ago. He happens to be Bert Jones' dad. Dub worked with dad for months, teaching him to be a good pass receiver. When he went to the Houston Oilers to try out for a position, he made the team. His receivers' coach then was Mac Speedy, also a former Browns receiver who should probably be in the Hall of Fame in his own right. Dad scored the first touchdown the Oilers as a team ever made. He went on to have a spectacular career that was cut short by knee injuries after 7 years. He still owns about 2/3 of the Tennessee Titans receiving records. Though the AFL has been said to be "pass happy". The year he broke Crazy Legs Hirsh's yards/season record, the Oilers' running back Billie Cannon was the AFL's leading rusher. At the time when my dad played, defensive backs were allowed to clobber receivers anywhere down the field. As someone noted, as the passing game is "more exciting", the NFL changed to rules to disallow contact between D-backs and receivers after the 1st 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, hoping to encourage more excitement. This is the nice situation that Jerry Rice (who I will admit probably the greatest receiver in pro football history) had, along with 2 extra games, had to break my dad's yardage record. I suspect that some might say the 49'ers were "pass happy" in the 1990's. I would be also, if as in the case of both the 49'ers and Oilers it could bring my team championships. Dad will be on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. He deserves it. In only 7 years of play, he still holds the career receiving touchdown record for the Titans (51).

Regards to all,

Steve Hennigan, MD

 

[identikit]

Hello folks. Here's the story about my dad Charlie Hennigan. He played running back for a small college in Louisiana. Didn't get drafted. Went into the army then settled in Jonesboro, LA to teach school. When he heard about the new AFL in 1959, he contacted Dub Jones, who had played wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns long ago. He happens to be Bert Jones' dad. Dub worked with dad for months, teaching him to be a good pass receiver. When he went to the Houston Oilers to try out for a position, he made the team. His receivers' coach then was Mac Speedy, also a former Browns receiver who should probably be in the Hall of Fame in his own right. Dad scored the first touchdown the Oilers as a team ever made. He went on to have a spectacular career that was cut short by knee injuries after 7 years. He still owns about 2/3 of the Tennessee Titans receiving records. Though the AFL has been said to be "pass happy". The year he broke Crazy Legs Hirsh's yards/season record, the Oilers' running back Billie Cannon was the AFL's leading rusher. At the time when my dad played, defensive backs were allowed to clobber receivers anywhere down the field. As someone noted, as the passing game is "more exciting", the NFL changed to rules to disallow contact between D-backs and receivers after the 1st 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, hoping to encourage more excitement. This is the nice situation that Jerry Rice (who I will admit probably the greatest receiver in pro football history) had, along with 2 extra games, had to break my dad's yardage record. I suspect that some might say the 49'ers were "pass happy" in the 1990's. I would be also, if as in the case of both the 49'ers and Oilers it could bring my team championships. Dad will be on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. He deserves it. In only 7 years of play, he still holds the career receiving touchdown record for the Titans (51). Regards to all,Steve Hennigan, MD

to your dad...Here's hoping he is inducted into the HoF....

 

[dotman]

Hello folks. Here's the story about my dad Charlie Hennigan. He played running back for a small college in Louisiana. Didn't get drafted. Went into the army then settled in Jonesboro, LA to teach school. When he heard about the new AFL in 1959, he contacted Dub Jones, who had played wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns long ago. He happens to be Bert Jones' dad. Dub worked with dad for months, teaching him to be a good pass receiver. When he went to the Houston Oilers to try out for a position, he made the team. His receivers' coach then was Mac Speedy, also a former Browns receiver who should probably be in the Hall of Fame in his own right. Dad scored the first touchdown the Oilers as a team ever made. He went on to have a spectacular career that was cut short by knee injuries after 7 years. He still owns about 2/3 of the Tennessee Titans receiving records. Though the AFL has been said to be "pass happy". The year he broke Crazy Legs Hirsh's yards/season record, the Oilers' running back Billie Cannon was the AFL's leading rusher. At the time when my dad played, defensive backs were allowed to clobber receivers anywhere down the field. As someone noted, as the passing game is "more exciting", the NFL changed to rules to disallow contact between D-backs and receivers after the 1st 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, hoping to encourage more excitement. This is the nice situation that Jerry Rice (who I will admit probably the greatest receiver in pro football history) had, along with 2 extra games, had to break my dad's yardage record. I suspect that some might say the 49'ers were "pass happy" in the 1990's. I would be also, if as in the case of both the 49'ers and Oilers it could bring my team championships. Dad will be on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. He deserves it. In only 7 years of play, he still holds the career receiving touchdown record for the Titans (51). Regards to all,Steve Hennigan, MD

Thanks for sharing

 

[Chase Stuart]

The early Oilers are an interesting team. As great as Hennigan was, Bill Groman was probably just as good. Those two teamed up with the aforementioned Billy Cannon (who still ranks 2nd in NFL history in yards from scrimmage in a regular season game) and George Blanda to win the AFL title in '60 and '61; they made it to the championship game in '62, too. They were the dominant team for the first half of the AFL. Blanda fell apart in '62 (47 INT in 15 games) but the defense was great.

The Oilers were very pass happy even by AFL standards. Hennigan/Groman/Cannon were quite the trio; in '61 they were three of the top four players in the AFL in yards from scrimmage. The other noteworthy piece of information on that team -- along with Don Shula, Wally Lemm is the only coach to go undefeated and win a championship in a season. Houston started the season 1-3-1, fired the defending champion HC Lou Rymkus (who was a lineman on those great Browns teams) and hired Lemm. He went 10-0 and won the AFL title.

If you want to look at old AFL WRs beyond Maynard and Alworth, check out Art Powell, Lionel Taylor and Otis Taylor.

 

[Chase Stuart]

A thought on Mac Speedie -- he didn't do much in the NFL, but he dominated the AAFC. If you look at all WRs in terms of receiving yards per team attempt, Mac Speedie's 1947 season (assuming you count it, since it was in the AAFC) would rank #5 all time. 1146 receiving yards on 296 pass attempts.

 

[lexus]

"Dem was the good old days!"



PS - I recall watching the original Baltimore Colts playing some of their games on Saturday night television, back in the 1950s.

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

Hello folks. Here's the story about my dad Charlie Hennigan. He played running back for a small college in Louisiana. Didn't get drafted. Went into the army then settled in Jonesboro, LA to teach school. When he heard about the new AFL in 1959, he contacted Dub Jones, who had played wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns long ago. He happens to be Bert Jones' dad. Dub worked with dad for months, teaching him to be a good pass receiver. When he went to the Houston Oilers to try out for a position, he made the team. His receivers' coach then was Mac Speedy, also a former Browns receiver who should probably be in the Hall of Fame in his own right. Dad scored the first touchdown the Oilers as a team ever made. He went on to have a spectacular career that was cut short by knee injuries after 7 years. He still owns about 2/3 of the Tennessee Titans receiving records. Though the AFL has been said to be "pass happy". The year he broke Crazy Legs Hirsh's yards/season record, the Oilers' running back Billie Cannon was the AFL's leading rusher. At the time when my dad played, defensive backs were allowed to clobber receivers anywhere down the field. As someone noted, as the passing game is "more exciting", the NFL changed to rules to disallow contact between D-backs and receivers after the 1st 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, hoping to encourage more excitement. This is the nice situation that Jerry Rice (who I will admit probably the greatest receiver in pro football history) had, along with 2 extra games, had to break my dad's yardage record. I suspect that some might say the 49'ers were "pass happy" in the 1990's. I would be also, if as in the case of both the 49'ers and Oilers it could bring my team championships. Dad will be on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. He deserves it. In only 7 years of play, he still holds the career receiving touchdown record for the Titans (51). Regards to all,Steve Hennigan, MD

Hey Steve, welcome to Footballguys. Thank you for sharing your father's story.

 

[H.K.]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

Heard Peter King talking about this article on Sirius, brings up some interesting data about the "wide open" perception of the AFL vs. the NFL.

 

[tex]

Man these are really some names that are a blast from the past. I was an AFL fan growing up in Dallas because the Cowboys sucked and the Texans were good and very exciting with Abner Haynes, Cotton Davidson, Len Dawson, EJ Holub, Curtis Mcclinton. And their biggest rival of course were the hated Houston Oilers. but I had great respect for Charlie Hennigan. He was a great WR who I remember caught everything in sight. The Oilers were a great team and the two teams had some tough battles. It was a sad day for me when one of the teams in the city had to move and it was the Texans who moved instead of the Cowboys.

 

[SteveHHMD]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

Heard Peter King talking about this article on Sirius, brings up some interesting data about the "wide open" perception of the AFL vs. the NFL.

Regarding Joe Namath in the above "Everything you know about the AFL is wrong article" Dad (Charlie Hennigan) played with Joe Namath in one of the All Star games. He once said to me that he had an absolutely incredible arm. He said he once threw the ball all the way across the field to him while running in the opposite direction. I'm not a statistician, and I'm, certainly not unbiased. But as a physician I'm not a bad thinker either. And I must interpret data frequently. I recall the old expression "lies, damn lies, and statistics" When one measures AVERAGE YARDS PER CATCH, he may find that the number is less meaningful than one might infer. First, the question of statistical significance comes to mind. In most of the years that the writer says that the NFL or AFL led in yards/completion, the numbers are exceedingly close, often within or even less than 1%. I suspect this may be why he didn't do the math for us in his table. In 1963, the AFL yards per catch was 14.59, compared to the NFL's 14.62, only 0.02% less. Further, yards per catch does not include variation from the mean. That is, if one had one catch for 40 yards, and 2 catches for 3 yards, the average would be 15.3 yards per catch. The NFL might have a catch for 20 yards and 2 catches for 12 yards and get the same number, even thought the 40 yard catch would be more exciting. If a quarterback did indeed attempt more long passes, it would be likely that his completion percentage would be lower.

In the 1970's, I was a big Raiders fan. I loved Daryl Lamonica. To this day I remember watching the Raiders score 21 points in a little over 2 minutes time. Dad was talking with one of the great quarterbacks of that day, who complained that Lamonica was a poor quarterback, because he couldn't throw an accurate short ball.

My take on this is that too many people have axes to grind. I won't say that "Cold Hard Facts" doesn't make some legitimate points. I would say, however, that in some of his points, he either doesn't think well, or wishes to be more persuasive than the data would allow.

Steve Hennigan

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Hello folks. Here's the story about my dad Charlie Hennigan. He played running back for a small college in Louisiana. Didn't get drafted. Went into the army then settled in Jonesboro, LA to teach school. When he heard about the new AFL in 1959, he contacted Dub Jones, who had played wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns long ago. He happens to be Bert Jones' dad. Dub worked with dad for months, teaching him to be a good pass receiver. When he went to the Houston Oilers to try out for a position, he made the team. His receivers' coach then was Mac Speedy, also a former Browns receiver who should probably be in the Hall of Fame in his own right. Dad scored the first touchdown the Oilers as a team ever made. He went on to have a spectacular career that was cut short by knee injuries after 7 years. He still owns about 2/3 of the Tennessee Titans receiving records. Though the AFL has been said to be "pass happy". The year he broke Crazy Legs Hirsh's yards/season record, the Oilers' running back Billie Cannon was the AFL's leading rusher. At the time when my dad played, defensive backs were allowed to clobber receivers anywhere down the field. As someone noted, as the passing game is "more exciting", the NFL changed to rules to disallow contact between D-backs and receivers after the 1st 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, hoping to encourage more excitement. This is the nice situation that Jerry Rice (who I will admit probably the greatest receiver in pro football history) had, along with 2 extra games, had to break my dad's yardage record. I suspect that some might say the 49'ers were "pass happy" in the 1990's. I would be also, if as in the case of both the 49'ers and Oilers it could bring my team championships. Dad will be on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. He deserves it. In only 7 years of play, he still holds the career receiving touchdown record for the Titans (51). Regards to all,Steve Hennigan, MD

Steve,Welcome to Footballguys, and thank you for sharing your father's story.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

Heard Peter King talking about this article on Sirius, brings up some interesting data about the "wide open" perception of the AFL vs. the NFL.

That's a really poor article.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

Heard Peter King talking about this article on Sirius, brings up some interesting data about the "wide open" perception of the AFL vs. the NFL.

That's a really poor article.

1. AFL passers had a higher average Y/A in both '64 and '66, not never.2. Their view on Namath is absurd. CHFF has an unhealthy obsession with QB rating. A statistical analysis that accounts for era puts Namath at #30. It's crazy to think after all their work, CHFF wouldn't want to put players in the context of their eras. Namath was the best QB in the AFL in '67 and arguably as good as any NFL QB. In '68, Lamonica, Dawson and Namath were the class of the AFL. In '69, Dawson was hurt, and Lamonica and Namath were the top QBs. In '72, Namath was the best QB in the then-merged NFL. He was pretty good in '71 and '73 when he played, but he suffered injuries both years. He even had one last decent season in '74. Dawson was the class of the AFL, and Lamonica was excellent. But Namath was right there behind Lamonica, and the AFL boasted the best QBs of that day.

3. The AFL dominates the Fun Index, which is what people think of when they think of wide open passing and exciting football. The top 3 fun QB seasons of the '60s, five of the top 7 and 6 of the top 10. And that's without Namath, Lamonica and Dawson; those five seasons came from Kemp, Flores, Blanda and Hadl.

4. AFL teams scored 1 more PPG in the '60s.

5. If Joe Kapp and Earl Morrall were leading teams to titles (and then imploding against the AFL), I'm not sure if I would brag my league had the better QB's by pointing out numbers accumulated when teams don't ever play each other.

 

[H.K.]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

Heard Peter King talking about this article on Sirius, brings up some interesting data about the "wide open" perception of the AFL vs. the NFL.

Regarding Joe Namath in the above "Everything you know about the AFL is wrong article" Dad (Charlie Hennigan) played with Joe Namath in one of the All Star games. He once said to me that he had an absolutely incredible arm. He said he once threw the ball all the way across the field to him while running in the opposite direction. I'm not a statistician, and I'm, certainly not unbiased. But as a physician I'm not a bad thinker either. And I must interpret data frequently. I recall the old expression "lies, damn lies, and statistics" When one measures AVERAGE YARDS PER CATCH, he may find that the number is less meaningful than one might infer. First, the question of statistical significance comes to mind. In most of the years that the writer says that the NFL or AFL led in yards/completion, the numbers are exceedingly close, often within or even less than 1%. I suspect this may be why he didn't do the math for us in his table. In 1963, the AFL yards per catch was 14.59, compared to the NFL's 14.62, only 0.02% less. Further, yards per catch does not include variation from the mean. That is, if one had one catch for 40 yards, and 2 catches for 3 yards, the average would be 15.3 yards per catch. The NFL might have a catch for 20 yards and 2 catches for 12 yards and get the same number, even thought the 40 yard catch would be more exciting. If a quarterback did indeed attempt more long passes, it would be likely that his completion percentage would be lower.

In the 1970's, I was a big Raiders fan. I loved Daryl Lamonica. To this day I remember watching the Raiders score 21 points in a little over 2 minutes time. Dad was talking with one of the great quarterbacks of that day, who complained that Lamonica was a poor quarterback, because he couldn't throw an accurate short ball.

My take on this is that too many people have axes to grind. I won't say that "Cold Hard Facts" doesn't make some legitimate points. I would say, however, that in some of his points, he either doesn't think well, or wishes to be more persuasive than the data would allow.

Steve Hennigan

I agree Namath in his prime was one of the best ever, his career numbers don't match up with a lot of others in the HOF, but he was amazing.As far as the article goes, I don't agree with all of it either, just thought it was topical for the conversation.

Thanks for telling us about your dad

 

[identikit]

The early days of the AFL were very pass-happy. They wanted a lot of offense in order to generate fan interest. You'll notice the TD-INT ratios of most of those QBs were not so good. Lots of TDs but lots of INTs too.

It worked. The AFL caught on well enough to force the NFL to merge with them later on.

Heard Peter King talking about this article on Sirius, brings up some interesting data about the "wide open" perception of the AFL vs. the NFL.

That's a really poor article.

1. AFL passers had a higher average Y/A in both '64 and '66, not never.2. Their view on Namath is absurd. CHFF has an unhealthy obsession with QB rating. A statistical analysis that accounts for era puts Namath at #30. It's crazy to think after all their work, CHFF wouldn't want to put players in the context of their eras. Namath was the best QB in the AFL in '67 and arguably as good as any NFL QB. In '68, Lamonica, Dawson and Namath were the class of the AFL. In '69, Dawson was hurt, and Lamonica and Namath were the top QBs. In '72, Namath was the best QB in the then-merged NFL. He was pretty good in '71 and '73 when he played, but he suffered injuries both years. He even had one last decent season in '74. Dawson was the class of the AFL, and Lamonica was excellent. But Namath was right there behind Lamonica, and the AFL boasted the best QBs of that day.

3. The AFL dominates the Fun Index, which is what people think of when they think of wide open passing and exciting football. The top 3 fun QB seasons of the '60s, five of the top 7 and 6 of the top 10. And that's without Namath, Lamonica and Dawson; those five seasons came from Kemp, Flores, Blanda and Hadl.

4. AFL teams scored 1 more PPG in the '60s.

5. If Joe Kapp and Earl Morrall were leading teams to titles (and then imploding against the AFL), I'm not sure if I would brag my league had the better QB's by pointing out numbers accumulated when teams don't ever play each other.