John Henderson (wide receiver)

John Henderson
No. 87, 80
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1943-03-21) March 21, 1943 (age 81)
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Career information
College:Michigan
NFL draft:1965 / round: 5 / pick: 63
AFL draft:1965 / round: 17 / pick: 136[1]
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:108
Receiving yards:1,735
Touchdowns:10
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

John William Henderson (born March 21, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines in 1963 and 1964. He played in the NFL from 1965 to 1972. He was the leading receiver in Super Bowl IV with seven catches for 111 yards for the Minnesota Vikings.

Henderson was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1943 and attended Roosevelt High School. He played college football at the end position for Michigan in 1963 and 1964. He gained 330 receiving yards on 27 catches in 1963 and 377 yards on 31 catches in 1964.[2]

Henderson was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round (63rd overall) of the 1965 NFL draft. He played eight seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions (1965–1967) and Minnesota (1968–1972).[3] His best year in the NFL was 1969 when he caught 34 passes for 553 yards and five touches.[3] The Vikings won the 1969 NFL Championship Game and advanced to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV; Henderson was the game's leading receiver with seven catches for 111 yards.[4] In his eight-year NFL career, Henderson appeared in 93 games and had 108 receptions for 1,735 yards and 10 touchdowns.[3]

He was one of the fifteen plaintiffs in Mackey v. National Football League in which Judge Earl R. Larson declared that the Rozelle rule was a violation of antitrust laws on December 30, 1975.[5][6]

  1. ^ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  2. ^ "Michigan Football Statistical Archive". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "John Henderson". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "Super Bowl IV". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Wallace, William N. "Rozelle Rule Found In Antitrust Violation," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 31, 1975. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Mackey v. National Football League, 407 F. Supp. 1000 (D. Minn. 1975) – Justia.com. Retrieved December 12, 2023.