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 ...
offensive guard
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that ...
who played one season with the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
(CFL). He was drafted by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
(NFL) in the eighth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
Staples High School
Staples High School is a public high school located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, United States. Staples High School is named after Horace Staples, who founded the school on April 26, 1884. Westport is one of eight school districts in Dis ...
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...
for the Staples High School Wreckers. He earned All-County and All-State honors as well as being selected to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
Tri-State Football Team his senior year in 1969. He also participated in wrestling, earning All-County honors and winning the state heavyweight championship in his senior season.
College career
Headley was a three-year starter at
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...
for the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a ...
. The Demon Deacons won their first
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
championship in 1970 as Headley was named First-team All-ACC and voted team MVP. He was also named a Second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation and an All-American by the National Education Association. He was named co-recipient of the Arnold Palmer Award, which is given to Wake Forest's best male athlete, in the spring of 1971. Headley also won the Bill George Award, which is given to Wake Forest's best lineman, in 1970. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
Professional career
Headley was selected by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
of the NFL with the 193rd pick in the 1971 NFL Draft and converted to offensive guard. He was released before the start of the regular season. He played for the Hartford Knights of the ACFL in 1971. Headley was signed by the CFL's
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...
in March 1972. He played in two games for the Alouettes in 1972.
Coaching career
Headley served as an assistant coach for the
Winston-Salem State Rams
The Winston-Salem State Rams are the athletic teams that represent Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Rams compete as members of the Central Intercollegiate At ...
from 1972 to 1973. He was an assistant coach with the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a ...
from 1973 to 1975. He served as an assistant coach for the
Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in m ...
from 1975 to 1982. Headley returned to coaching at the high school level in 2003 and has served as a coach at several schools, including Princeton Day School in
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...
Skillman, New Jersey
Skillman is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.