Chad William Hennings (born October 20, 1965 in Elberon, Iowa) is a former American football defensive lineman for the Air Force Academy Falcons, winning the Outland Trophy his senior year. Despite facing an obligation to enter the Air Force upon graduating the Academy, he was drafted in the eleventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, and would go on to play in the National Football League, winning three Super Bowls. While at Benton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa, Hennings became the state heavyweight wrestling champion his senior year.
After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1988, Hennings entered the Euro-NATO program and soon found himself at the controls of the A-10 Thunderbolt.
During his four-year stint with the Air Force, Hennings flew 45 missions in support of Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, an effort that helped provide relief and humanitarian aid to Kurdish refugees. He received two aerial achievement medals, a humanitarian award and an outstanding unit award for his actions in the service.
In 1992, Hennings left the Air Force and joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie. He spent nine seasons with the team, amassing 28 sacks, six fumble recoveries, four return yards and one touchdown in 107 games before retiring after the 2000 season.
He was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and was in the inaugural class of the Air Force Academy Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
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