Todd Hendricks (born August 13, 1968) is a former professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player who played wide receiver,

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

, and kick returner. Hendricks played professionally for several seasons in the

Austrian Football League The Austrian Football League (AFL) is the highest level of American football in Austria founded in 1984. The Austrian Football League (AFL) has always been considered among the best and strongest leagues in Europe. The league plays by rules based ...

's highest level. He later played in Switzerland's

Nationalliga A (American football) The Nationalliga A is the highest league level of American football in Switzerland and was formed in 1982. The first Swiss Bowl championship was played in 1986. Below the ''Nationalliga A'' sits the ''Nationalliga B'', also made up of six teams. T ...

. Hendricks played college football at Minnesota State-Fergus Falls and the

University of Mary The University of Mary (UMary or simply Mary) is a private, Benedictine university near Bismarck, North Dakota. It was established in 1959 as Mary College. The university is the largest degree-granting institution in western North Dakota. It ...

. He was inducted into the

Minnesota College Athletic Conference Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) - formerly the Minnesota Community College Conference - is a junior college collegiate athletic conference in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and they compete primarily at the N ...

Hall of Fame and the National Minor League Football Hall of Fame. He has been a successful coach since his playing career ended.

Early years

Todd Hendricks played for Alexandria Area High School in

Alexandria, Minnesota Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after brothers Alexander and William Kinkead from Maryland. The form of the name alludes to Alexandria, Egypt, a center ...

as a standout football, basketball and track athlete. He went on to play four seasons of college football as receiver, running back and kick returner. Hendricks earned all Minnesota College Athletic Conference honors in football and track (Sprints) and was named 1988 JC Gridwire

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n for his all purpose production rushing, receiving and kick returns at Minnesota State Community & Technical College-Fergus Falls. Hendricks was inducted to the

Hall of Fame in 2015. On an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

, Hendricks played the final two years of his college football career at the University of

Mary Marauders The Marauders are the athletic teams that represent the University of Mary, located in Bismarck, North Dakota, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Marauders compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 16 va ...

. In his senior season, Hendricks earned All Conference honors as a starting receiver and ranked in the top five in the league in receiving. Hendricks helped lead the

to its first ever top 25 final national ranking in 1991 as a team captain. Hendricks returned to college and earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from the University of Mary in 2000.

Professional career

Hendricks went unsigned after NFL tryouts. On December 28, 1992, Hendricks signed a

Professional sports In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought l ...

contract in the

for the AFC Rangers of Vienna, Austria. He played all or parts of six seasons - 1993, 1995-1997, 2000,2002 - for the AFC Rangers, reaching the Austrian Football League playoffs semi final four times, as well as the European Football League 1996

Eurobowl The Eurobowl was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each countries top league that was cal ...

tournament playoffs. In 1995, Hendricks was honored as

MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. Hendricks scored a league record 20 touchdowns (14 receiving and 6 rushing) that season in eight games. He was named All Europe by the

European Federation of American Football IFAF Europe is the governing body of American football in Europe. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football. IFAF Europe replaced the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) which had began in 1976 as the Americ ...

after the 1995, 1996, and 1997 seasons. He averaged 167 all purpose yards and over two touchdowns per game in his career in Europe. In 1999, Hendricks played for the St Paul Pigs in Minnesota. Hendricks led the team in rushing and led the league in yards per reception, while also finishing second in the league in receiving touchdowns. He helped the Pigs to an undefeated season and won the league championship. Hendricks was named to the Mid America League and AFA all star teams. The Pigs franchise folded after its only season. The next season, 2000, Hendricks returned to Europe and again played for the Rangers in the

and was named to the league all star team. In 2008, Hendricks played and coached the last three games of the season for the Vienna Knights in Austria. In 2009, Hendricks signed with the Bern Grizzlies of Switzerland's top level

. Hendricks ruptured his Achilles' tendon ending his season early in the fifth game. Hendricks had scored eight touchdowns before the injury. In 2010, he came back from the injury signing to play and coach with the Thun Tigers of Switzerland. Hendricks accounted for 19 total touchdowns in his final season as a player. Hendricks was inducted to the US National

Minor league football (gridiron) Minor league football is a loose term for pro football (gridiron) which is played below the major league level (also known as ''Secondary Football'' or ''Alternative Football''). There is a major league designation to the National Football Lea ...

Hall of Fame in 2004. He has helped promote the game in the USA and Europe at schools, camps, and clinics.

Coaching

Hendricks has coached in the US and Europe. He has a record of 91-35-1 and four championships as a

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

at Wabasso High School 2002-2004, Alexandria Mustangs, Bern Grizzlies in Switzerland, and Terni Steelers, Viterbo Pitbulls in Italy. He has also served as an assistant coach or coordinator at Osakis High School, Kimball High School, ACGC High School, Ridgewater College,

Augsburg University Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminarium. Today, the u ...

, Thun Tigers in Switzerland and AFC Rangers in Austria. In 2021, Hendricks was an assistant football coach at

North Dakota State College of Science The North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is a public college in Wahpeton, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1903 by provision of the state constitution, the State College of Science offers degre ...

. He is currently an assistant coach at West Central Area High School.

References

″Hendricks Football Career and Hall of Fame induction
�� Hendricks signs with Thun Tigers. https://www.facebook.com/AAAMinorLeagueFootballHallOfFame/info https://www.ndscswildcats.com/sports/fball/coaches/index 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hendricks, Todd 1968 births Living people People from Graceville, Minnesota Players of American football from Minnesota People from Alexandria, Minnesota University of Mary alumni American football wide receivers American expatriate sportspeople in Austria American expatriate players of American football American expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland American expatriate sportspeople in Italy American football running backs Mary Marauders football players