THOMAS “HOLLYWOOD” HENDERSON

From Gridiron Glory to Redemption’s Field: 

The Unfiltered Saga of Thomas Henderson

In the annals of NFL folklore, few figures embody the highs of stardom and the lows of self-destruction quite like Thomas Henderson. Once dubbed “Hollywood” for his flashy fur coats, limo arrivals, and unapologetic bravado, the former Dallas Cowboys linebacker now prefers plain old Thomas—a name that reflects his hard-won humility.

At 72, Henderson is a two-time lottery winner, a Super Bowl champion, and, most importantly, a 42-year sober advocate who’s turned his life’s chaos into a blueprint for recovery. Drawing from an exclusive interview with Paul Heckmann of Memories Incorporated, along with insights from ESPN’s Outside the Lines, the Austin American-Statesman, HBCU Legends Podcast, and a candid 2016 Q&A with the Statesman, Henderson’s story unfolds like a Hollywood script—minus the fairy-tale ending, plus a lot of real grit.

Poverty’s Playground: Austin Roots and a Thug’s Edge

A young Thomas Henderson. Courtesy Thomas Henderson

Born in Austin, Texas, in 1953 to a mother just 21 days shy of 16—who fled an abortionist to bring him into the world—Henderson’s childhood was a masterclass in resilience amid ruin. “We were toilet-paper poor,” he recalls, describing a lean-to shack where the bathtub doubled as a laundry hamper and necessities like TP were luxuries. “If you saw 60 rolls in my garage today, you’d know exactly where it came from.” Yet, love and discipline anchored him. Enrolled at age three in a Montessori program on the University of Texas campus (thanks to his mom’s job there), he mixed with diverse kids early on. “I didn’t see color anyway,” he says.

School life at LL Campbell Elementary propelled him into the top 10%, landing him at University Junior High in 1966—a pivotal moment in Austin’s integration. “I was 13, meeting Mexicans and white people for the first time,” he told Heckmann. Football kicked off at UJH and Kealing Junior High, then Anderson High as a tailback on the B team. But poverty’s toll—nights without basics and a friend’s fatal shooting—drove him to Oklahoma City at 16 to live with his grandmother. “I gotta get out of here,” he decided after one too many hardships.

High School Hustle: From Filming Games to Defensive Dominance

Thomas and a friend at Langston University, courtesy Thomas Henderson

At Douglas High in Oklahoma City, transfer rules sidelined him junior year. “I remember crying because I wanted to play so badly,” he shared in the 2016 Statesman interview. Instead, he filmed games, played basketball, and worked nights at the post office—loading trucks, Spiegel catalogs, and even driving 18-wheelers unlicensed. “I loved my job; it got me a car, payments, insurance.” He also became a certified welder.

Senior year, a growth spurt to 6’2″, 210 pounds sealed his fate. Coach Donald Burns eyed him: “What position do you play?” “Quarterback,” Henderson replied. One wobbly post-route pass later—”the ugliest duck you’d ever seen”—and he was a defensive end. All-City, All-District honors followed in that single season. A flunked geometry class delayed graduation but saved him from Vietnam, shifting his draft status from 1A to 1S. “That’s the only thing that kept me from going,” he marvels.

Thomas makes the Little All America Football Team. Courtesy Black College Hall of Fame and Thomas Henderson

Air Force pilot dreams fizzled after a Wichita State plane crash wiped out their team. Rejected by them, a buddy suggested Langston University, an HBCU. Hitchhiking there post-car wreck, Henderson walked on. Day two: The starter broke an ankle. “I had four sacks, 12 tackles against Kentucky State—and he never got his job back.” Never on scholarship (financial aid sufficed, given his mom’s maid wages), he became a two-time NAIA All-American. In a 2022 HBCU Legends Podcast, he credited Black scouts like Tank Younger: “They took the time to come to Langston.” Barry Switzer overlooked him at Oklahoma, a snub Henderson ribs him about: “In 1975, OU won the national title; Langston went 1-9. But I was the first Oklahoman drafted.”

Draft Day Drama: Entering the Cowboys’ Spotlight

The 1975 NFL Draft’s “Dirty Dozen” class was legendary—12 rookies, including Randy White, Bob Breunig, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones, made the Cowboys. Despite Tom Landry’s reluctance on HBCU picks, scouts Gil Brandt and Red Hickey insisted: “He’s the best on the board.” Drafted 18th overall, Henderson got the call in a remote farmhouse: “No watch party, just ‘Can you get to the airport?'”

“The Dirty Dozen” 1975 Dallas Cowboy rookie class, courtesy Thomas Henderson Facebook page

Hollywood As a rookie, he dazzled, returning a 97-yard kickoff TD against the Cardinals—the first to dunk over the goalpost. By 1977, he started in the Doomsday Defense with Breunig and D.D. Lewis, topping the league two years running. “We played some good ball,” he says. Off-field, “Hollywood” emerged after Robert Newhouse teased him for a limo-and-fur-coat entrance. “It was either ‘Damn Fool’ or ‘Hollywood’—I went with the latter.”

Closest pals? “Too Tall Jones and Roger Staubach—they were with me through good and bad.” Jones, his roommate, was “a real hoot” off-field; Staubach later regretted not defending him against Landry and loaned $55,000 for real estate (which Henderson repaid—the only borrower to do so, per Staubach). In ESPN’s profile, Henderson owned Dallas nightlife: orgies, clubs like Plush Pup and Playmakers Plaza (where he out-earned his Cowboys salary). He

Wyetta Henderson, then Thomas’s wife. Photo courtesy Internet included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

judged Playboy Bunny searches, dated Bunny Wyetta Boswell (sabotaging a rival girlfriend’s chances), had a child with Wyetta and trash-talked Terry Bradshaw before Super Bowl XIII: “He couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the C and A.” (Fed by Brandt, he later apologized in 2000: “I wanted to make amends.”)

Favorite Super Bowl moments? The 1976 reverse kickoff return cracking Roy Gerela’s ribs (“I’d have scored if Randy Hughes blocked”) and leading tackles in the 1978 Broncos rout (“They had eight turnovers—we crushed them”). He even stonewalled Earl Campbell on a goal-line play: “I hit him hard, knocked him back.” Years later, Campbell admitted: “Damn, you were coming fast.”

The Fall: Addiction’s Grip and Landry’s Clash

Thomas in his full length fur. Only Thomas could pull this off. Courtesy Thomas

Beneath the glamour, cocaine ravaged him. “A lot,” he admits, hiding it in Vicks inhalers after burning a septal hole (requiring 1981 surgery). “I snorted during the Super Bowl,” he confessed to ESPN. Tensions with Landry simmered from day one: Beard battles, shoestring ties, knotty rebellions. “What does my beard have to do with football?” he challenged. Yet Landry coached him uniquely, once conceding in a meeting: “I don’t like you doing this, but I’m gonna let you.”

Thomas in his Cowboy boot. Photo courtesy Texas Monthly

1979 imploded: Hepatitis B hospitalized him, dropping weight to 195; a hiatal hernia followed. Landry’s ultimatum—”Miss practice, don’t start”—clashed with a flu sending him home. Bench threat sparked confrontation: “If I don’t start, I’m not playing.” Waived mid-season (ironically, after mugging for cameras with Preston Pearson’s handkerchief—Pearson never defended him), Henderson quit rather than join San Francisco.

Brief stints with the 49ers (cut amid crack use), Oilers (hated for his Cowboys ties), and Dolphins ended with a 1981 broken neck: “Cervical vertebrae 1 burst—I should’ve died or been paralyzed.” A prehistoric body cast for six months left him “smelling like a Billy goat.”

Rock bottom: 1983 blackout led to sexual assault charges during a crack binge. “I embarrassed my family—completely out of character,” he says, blaming 151 rum blackouts. After bail, more drugs; a lawyer dragged him to CARE Unit in Orange, California. Seven months later, 28 months in prison (resisting temptations inside). Sober since November 8, 1983—42 years now—he credits God: “I learned to do life differently.”

Redemption and Legacy: Lottery Luck, Philanthropy, and Paying It Forward

Thomas’ book “Out of Control” available and Courtesy of Amazon, click on the photo for a direct link to purchase

Post-prison, Henderson rebuilt. In his 1987 book Out of Control, he spared teammates’ secrets: “I didn’t snitch.” Reconciliation with Landry came via letters; the coach spoke at his 1993 10-year sobriety bash (1,000 attendees, including Staubach). A funny moment: Landry greeting with “Wassup?” left Henderson in stitches.

Thomas and the author Paul Heckmann at Thomas’ condo in Costa Mesa, California in 1989. Courtesy Paul Heckmann

In 2000, a $28 million Texas Lotto win—”that would’ve come with a coffin earlier”—funded stability. “I still have some; life is good.” A two-time winner, he considers sobriety his true luck. As founder of East Side Youth Services and Street Outreach, he built a stadium with an eight-lane track for East Austin kids. He speaks frankly to students: “I share my mistakes.”

Thomas displays his Lotto Texas $28 million winning ticket Friday, March 24, 2000 in Austin. He spent $100 Wednesday, allowing the computer to pick the lucky numbers: 5, 8, 17, 35, 38 and 41.

Honors abound: Selected to the all-HBCU Super Bowl first team for Black History Month, alongside legends like Willie Lanier and Too Tall Jones. “The nicest thing the NFL let me be part of.” He gifted Douglas High a gold football, tributing Coach Burns (whose eulogy he delivered comically, retelling the quarterback flop).

A documentary looms. As he told the Statesman in 2016 (echoing today): “I re-created myself—honest, telling the story.” From thug to champ to survivor, Henderson’s no longer Hollywood. He’s proof second chances aren’t scripted—they’re earned.

Roger and Thomas. Buddies all these years later, Courtesy Thomas Henderson