Worth Remembering: When 'Hollywood' Met the NFL

If you remember Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, you remember the former Dallas Cowboys' linebacker more for what he did ... or said ... off the football field than what he did on it.

And that's unfortunate.

The flashy, undersized, 6-2, 220-pound linebacker had rare speed and football instincts that helped him make an impact in the NFL, even though his career was over in a flash. He led the Cowboys in tackles in one Super Bowl. He forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in another. And he was named to the Pro Bowl in just his second season as a starter.

Yet it's his flamboyance that we remember most.

Henderson, who once had a false tooth with a Cowboys' star on it, is best known for a remark he made prior to Super Bowl XIII when he said that Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw "couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'.

Pittsburgh won that game, 35-31, with Bradshaw throwing four TD passes. He was named the game's MVP.

He also participated in a risque, no-holds-barred, interview with Playboy magazine where he discussed the sexual lives of NFL players, including his and those of his teammates. He also proclaimed himself as the "greatest linebacker in the history of the NFL" and dissed Dick Butkus as "a lineman on two legs."

It was, of course, Henderson who gave himself the nickname "Hollywood," and how appropriate: He admitted that he aspired to a career as football commentator on TV.

"If you want someone who can talk, talk, talk," he told the media, "you've got the right person."

But Henderson could do more ... much more ... than talk. He was a talented football player who began his career as a walk-on at Langston (OK) University. A stand-up defensive end, he so impressed the Dallas brain trust that the Cowboys chose him in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft. 

It didn't take long for him to make an impact.

First, it was on special teams. He was outstanding on punt and kickoff coverage. Not only could he block kicks, but he occasionally returned them, too. Few linebackers have ever tried to return kickoffs, much less score and dunk the ball over the goal post.

But Henderson could.

In 1977, his role changed when he was named the Cowboys' starting strong-side linebacker, becoming one of several young stars to help Dallas dominate the NFL and win Super Bowl XII over Denver.  Henderson was all over the field, covering tight ends, backs and making eye-popping hits. That season he totaled 75 tackles, intercepted three passes (returning one for a touchdown), defended five more, recovered a pair of fumbles and had two sacks.

For his efforts, he was voted second-team All-NFC.

In 1978, he was hobbled early with an ankle injury that caused him to miss three games. Nevertheless, he rebounded and played so effectively that he was named to his first Pro Bowl. Predictably, in the week prior to the NFC championship game he taunted the Los Angeles Rams by saying they "didn't have enough class" to go to the Super Bowl.

Then he intercepted a pass, returned it for a touchdown and celebrated with a finger roll over the crossbar in a 28-0 rout..

It was in the days prior to Super Bowl XIII, however, that he gained notoriety. That's when Henderson made his famous remark about Bradshaw's intelligence (or lack thereof), becoming something akin to a wrestling villain to NFL fans - a guy to root against. He later wrote that his drug use was out of control (the title of Henderson's first biography), and that its use led to some of the actions and comments he made in that era.

He admitted that he'd been high in Super Bowl X by snorting cocaine in a bathroom stall before the game. But in Super Bowl XIII, he said, he used coke during the game -- explaining how he filled a small nasal spray bottle with a mixture of cocaine and water and put it into the belt loops in the front of his game pants for easy access.

Hollywood's rising star was beginning to dim.

The following season Dallas started to use Henderson more on blitzes, and he responded with six sacks in 11 games and seemed on his way to another Pro Bowl.  But after a zero-tackle, zero-sack game vs. Washington, one that ended in a 34-20 Dallas loss, he was seen clowning around in front of a TV camera -- waving a handkerchief that teammate Preston Pearson asked him to promote.

An incensed Tom Landry placed Henderson on the reserve-retired list, and Hollywood never played for Dallas again.

Traded to San Francisco for a fourth-round draft pick, he was unable to kick a growing drug habit and continued to battle injuries in camp. In fact, he missed so many practices teammates began calling him "Holiday" Henderson.

A couple of weeks into the 1980 season, Bill Walsh had seen enough and released Henderson. 

He then caught on with Houston where coach Bum Phillps had him playing in some special defensive packages. But he missed time with more nicks and bruises and finished with only 19 tackles, one sack, one interception and two forced fumbles ... and one pink slip.

So it was on to Miami in 1981 where Don Shula was willing to give Hollywood a chance after Henderson completed drug rehab. Shula planned to use him as a strong-side linebacker, moving Kim Bokamper to more of a permanent defensive-line spot. He also wanted to take advantage of Henderson's special teams magic that he showed years before.

"Maybe he can do for us what he did for Dallas", Shula said.

He did not. He broke a bone in his neck in preseason, was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the year and his career was finished. 

Unfortunately, his poor decisions were not. His continued drug and alcohol abuse led to a two-year stint in prison, where he became sober and turned his life around. After his release, he moved into motivational speaking and helped kids in his native Austin, Texas.

He also won $10 million (after taxes, current payout, the original sum was $28 million) in the Texas lottery in early 2000.

Looking back, you can't help but wonder what might've been had he stayed healthy and sober. His skill set was perfect for the Dallas system, and Landry was committed to the 4-3 Flex. In a 3-4 defense, which a majority of teams employed in the 1980s, he would have been asked to play a position where his size would hurt him.

Some players from Henderson's era just weren't big enough to fill the size requirements of their positions today. But Hollywood Henderson could. Why? Because he could run. His coverage and tackling abilities were easily on par with today's players in off-the-ball roles.

No question, there was a lot of bad in Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson's career and life, but there was some good, too ... and it would have been gratifying to see more. Nevertheless, he was ... and is ... worth remembering.