Craig Hendrickson

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Craig Hendrickson
No. 59, 58, 52 [1]
Position: Offensive lineman
Personal information
Born: (1968-05-05) May 5, 1968 (age 57)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school: Sahuaro (Tucson, Arizona, U.S.)
College: Arizona Western (1986–1987)
Minnesota (1988–1990)
NFL draft: 1991: undrafted
CFL draft: 1990: 3rd round, 21st pick
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Craig Steven Hendrickson (born May 5, 1968) is a Canadian-American former professional football offensive lineman who played 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Edmonton Eskimos, BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts. He played college football at Arizona Western College and the University of Minnesota.

Contents

Early life and college

Craig Steven Hendrickson was born on May 5, 1968, in Tucson, Arizona. [1] [2] He grew up in Vancouver and Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. [1] [3] He attended Sahuaro High School in Tucson. [1]

Hendrickson first played college football at Arizona Western College from 1986 to 1987, [4] [1] earning first-team junior college All-American and All-ACCAC honors. [3] [5] He then transferred to the University of Minnesota in 1988, where he played for the Golden Gophers with his brother Scott Hendrickson. [1] [6] In April 1988, Hendrickson was one of four University of Minnesota football players evicted form a dorm after dried blood and animal entrails were found. [7] He redshirted in 1988 and was a two-year letterman from 1989 to 1990. [4] [8] As a senior in 1990, Hendrickson played left tackle, right tackle, right guard, and left guard, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference honors. [4] He majored in criminal justice. [4]

Professional career

Hendrickson was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the third round, with the 21st overall pick, of the 1990 CFL draft. [1] After going undrafted in the 1991 NFL draft, he signed with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League on April 26, 1991. [1] He was later released on August 20, 1991. [1] Hendrickson then returned to his hometown of Brandon and waited to see if any other NFL teams were interested in him before deciding to sign a three-year contract with the Roughriders. [2] He was moved to the team's practice roster on September 4, 1991. [2] He dressed in eight games, starting two late in the season after a knee injury to Roger Aldag, in 1991. [1] [9] [10] Hendrickson became a starting offensive tackle in 1992 and dressed in 15 games for the league's top-rated offensive line, only allowing 33 sacks. [10] [1] [11] The team finished with a 9–9 record, losing in the Western semifinal to the Edmonton Eskimos. [12] He was a starter with his brother, Scott, on Saskatchewan's offensive line in 1993. [10] Craig dressed in all 18 games during the 1993 season as the Roughriders went 11–7 but lost in the semifinals to the Eskimos the second year in a row. [1] [13] He was named the team's outstanding offensive lineman in 1993. [14]

Hendrickson became a free agent after the 1993 season, and signed with the Bills on April 15, 1994. [15] [1] He was cut by the Bills on August 28, 1994. [14] On September 7, 1994, he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos. [16] He had reportedly turned down an offer to join the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad, stating "I'd rather play than sit on the bench and watch or just practise." [17] Hendrickson replaced Mike Dumaresq in Edmonton's starting lineup. [18] Hendrickson dressed in eight games for the Eskimos during the 1994 season. [1] He dressed in all 18 games in 1995 as the team finished 13–5 and lost in the Northern Final to the Calgary Stampeders by a score of 37–4. [19]

On May 23, 1996, Hendrickson and Chris Vargas were traded to the BC Lions for Glen Scrivener and BC's first-round pick in the 1997 CFL draft. [20] Hendrickson dressed in 16 games for the Lions as they went 5–13. [21]

On April 2, 1997, Hendrickson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. [22] He dressed in all 36 games for Winnipeg from 1997 to 1998, as the team finished 4–14 and 3–15 respectively. [1] [23] [24] He dressed in the first nine games of the 1999 season for the Blue Bombers before being traded to the Toronto Argonauts on September 8, 1999, for Nigel Williams and Brad Elberg. [1] [25] Hendrickson dressed in the final nine games of the season for the Argonauts. [1]

Hendrickson signed with the BC Lions in February 2000, reuniting with his brother Scott. [26] Craig dressed in 14 games for the Lions in 2000. [1] The team finished with an 8–10 record but advanced to the 88th Grey Cup, where they beat the Montreal Alouettes by a margin of 28–26. [27] Hendrickson dressed in all 18 games during his final CFL season in 2001. [1] The Lions went 8–10 again but this time lost in the Western semifinal. [28]

Hendrickson became a free agent after the 2001 season, and retired from the CFL. [29] [30] He finished with career totals of 169 games dressed, 12 defensive tackles, three special teams tackles, and two receptions for 11 yards and one touchdown. [1]

Personal life

Hendrickson was a licensed minister during his CFL career. [31] He spent 16 years as a full-time minister after his CFL career. [32] He then became a faculty member at Moody Bible Institute. [32]

Hendrickson's father Lefty Hendrickson and brother Scott Hendrickson both played in the CFL as well. [33]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "CRAIG HENDRICKSON". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 McCormick, Murray (September 5, 1991). "Hendrickson joins Roughriders". The Leader-Post . pp. C1. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Gopher recruits". Post-Bulletin . February 11, 1988. pp. 1B. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Davis, Darrell (April 10, 1991). "'Riders pick interests NFL". The Leader-Post . pp. B3. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  5. "Junior college football". The Arizona Republic . December 2, 1987. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  6. Ommanney, Marg (July 6, 1992). "Brothers put family name on the line". Star-Phoenix . pp. B2. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  7. "Animal entrails found in dorm rooms". The Daily Spectrum . United Press International. April 16, 1988. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  8. "Football Letterwinners". University of Minnesota . Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  9. Spencer, Kent (October 24, 1991). "Scout deserves an award". The Province . pp. A69. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 "1993 JOGO #160 Craig Hendrickson". TCDb.com. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  11. "1993 Dream Cards Saskatchewan Roughriders #7 Craig Hendrickson". TCDb.com. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  12. "1992 Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  13. "1993 Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  14. 1 2 "Riders want Hendrickson". Star-Phoenix . August 31, 1994. pp. B4. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  15. Oliver, Vance (November 17, 1993). "Many changes for Riders unlikely". Star-Phoenix . pp. C1. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  16. "Deals". The Ottawa Citizen . September 9, 1994. pp. D4. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  17. Cowley, Norm (September 23, 1994). "Esks to start blue chipper". Edmonton Journal . pp. C3. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  18. Matsumoto, Rick (September 25, 1994). "Ill-fated swap set Argonauts on losing path". The Toronto Star . pp. F4. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  19. "1995 Edmonton Eskimos (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  20. "B.C. Lions trade for another quarterback". Waterloo Region Record . May 24, 1996. pp. C4. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  21. "1996 British Columbia Lions (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  22. Tait, Ed (April 3, 1997). "Bucking the Old Boys Club". The Winnipeg Sun . p. 47. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  23. "1997 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  24. "1998 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  25. Friesen, Paul (September 9, 1999). "Divine intervention". The Winnipeg Sun . p. 62. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  26. "Roarin' In B.C." The Leader-Post . February 26, 2000. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  27. "2000 British Columbia Lions (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  28. "2001 British Columbia Lions (CFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  29. "Questions, questions". The Province . May 31, 2002. pp. A65. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  30. "Football". Niagara Falls Review . March 28, 2002. pp. B4. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  31. "1999 JOGO #174 Craig Hendrickson". TCDb.com. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  32. 1 2 "2022 JOGO CFL Alumni Series 36 #741 Craig Hendrickson". TCDb.com. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  33. Taylor, Jim (December 21, 1990). "CFL sleeve is Taylored to fit". The Province . p. 75. Retrieved July 28, 2025.