Steven Daniel Hendrickson (August 30, 1966 – January 8, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in 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 ...

(NFL). Hendrickson attended

Napa High School Napa High School, established in 1897, is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Napa, California. The high school is a comprehensive high school of 1860 students. It is one of three comprehensive high schools in the Napa Valley Unifie ...

where he was an outstanding varsity player during all four years at the school. His No. 30 jersey remains the only one ever retired by the school. He played college football for the California Golden Bears where he graduated with a major in history. He was named defensive player of the game at the 1988

Blue–Gray Football Classic The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in ...

and was drafted in the sixth round of the

1989 NFL Draft The 1989 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 1989, at the Marriott Ma ...

by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He played seven NFL seasons for the San Francisco 49ers,

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

, San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. Hendrickson was a member of the San Francisco 49ers when they won their fourth Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990. During his professional career, he played various positions despite his relatively small stature. With the Chargers Hendrickson was used as a short-yardage, goal-line running back, despite being a defensive player. He scored on a 1-yard run against the Kansas City Chiefs in a January 1993 playoff game in San Diego, to cap off a 17–0 shutout.

Personal life

Hendrickson resided in Napa, California. He has two children, Courtney and Kyle, who graduated from the University of California and Fresno State University respectively. Hendrickson suffered several concussions during his playing years. He suffered from many of the same symptoms as other former NFL players who have been diagnosed with trauma-related brain injuries resulting from concussions during their playing years. He collected disability payments from the Social Security Administration in addition to a disability pension from the NFL Player Retirement Plan. The NFL pension plan's six-person board determined his injuries were "non-football related", which made him ineligible for enhanced benefits. Hendrickson's nephew, Dave Lewis, confirmed that Hendrickson died on January 8, 2021, at his home in Nampa, Idaho, Nampa, Idaho.

References

Steve Hendrickson, TE at NFL.com
1966 births 2021 deaths Sportspeople from Richmond, California People from Napa, California American football linebackers California Golden Bears football players San Francisco 49ers players Dallas Cowboys players San Diego Chargers players Houston Oilers players Philadelphia Eagles players Sportspeople from Escondido, California Players of American football from California {{linebacker-1960s-stub