Henry Childs

Henry Childs
No. 88, 85, 83, 89
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born:(1951-04-16)April 16, 1951
Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
Died:June 3, 2016(2016-06-03) (aged 65)
Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
College:Kansas St.
NFL draft:1974 / round: 5 / pick: 109
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:223
Receiving yards:3,401
Receiving TDs:28
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Henry Childs (April 16, 1951 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, and the Green Bay Packers. He was a Pro Bowl player in 1979.

Childs was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 1994.

On June 3, 2016, he had a massive heart attack while driving in his car and was pronounced dead at the age of 65 in Thomasville, Georgia.[1] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),[2] which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[3][4]

  1. ^ Triplett, Mike (June 4, 2016). "Henry Childs, former Saints TE, dies at age 65". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  2. ^ "Former NFL star Henry Childs had newly discovered subtype of CTE when he died 1 in 6 people with high-stage CTE found to have distinct disease pattern that may lower dementia risk but increase behavioral problems". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.