Manuel Hendrix (born October 20, 1964) is a former
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 wit ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...
who played 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 ma ...
(NFL) for the
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 divis ...
. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...
.
Early years
Hendrix attended
South Mountain High School
South Mountain High School (The Academies at South Mountain) is a High school (North America), high school located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is part of the Phoenix Union High School District.
Overview
The school was founded in 1954. The s ...
where he received
All-American and All-state honors at cornerback in
football. He received All-state honors at
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
. He also practiced
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the short ...
.
He accepted a scholarship from the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...
, which was the only school that recruited him to play
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
. He became a four-year starter and a two-time captain under the coaching of
Lynn Archibald
Lynn J. Archibald (September 27, 1944 – May 28, 1997) was an American college basketball coach. He served as head basketball coach at Idaho State University and the University of Utah.
Early life
Born in Logan, Utah, Archibald moved to Orego ...
,
Hendrix helped the
Utes Utes may refer to:
*Ute people, indigenous people of North America
*Students of the University of Utah
*Utah Utes, athletics team of the University of Utah
*Útes, fictional island in the video game '' ARMA 2''
* Underground thermal energy storage ...
to the
NCAA tournament in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
where they eliminated
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
reaching the Sweet 16, and again in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
where they lost to
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
in the First round.
During his senior year, he was named team MVP and second-team
All-WAC. He hit game-winning shots in back-to-back games during the 1985
WAC tournament, specially the one against
Wyoming University. He finished his career ranked eighth in scoring with 1,493 points and fifth in assists with 409 in school history.
Hendrix possessed elite speed and put it on display during halftime of the intrasquad spring game in 1986, when tired of the taunts from football player
Del Rodgers
Rodrick Del Rodgers (born June 22, 1960, in Tacoma, Washington), is a former, professional American football player who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 3rd round of the 1982 NFL Draft. A 6'1" running back-kickoff returner from the U ...
(a 1982 third-round draft pick), accepted his challenge to a 30-yard run and beat him barefoot. They would then run a 40-yard race where he won running the last 5 yards backwards.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Although he never played a down of
college football, he signed with the
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 divis ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
, following on the foot steps of
Cornell Green,
Peter Gent
George Davis Peter Gent ( ; August 23, 1942 – September 30, 2011) was a wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He became a novelist after his retirement, authoring the best-seller '' North Dallas Forty''. He play ...
,
Percy Howard
Percy Lenard Howard (born January 21, 1952) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He was an unlikely star for the Cowboys in Super Bowl X. He played college basketball at Austin Peay ...
,
Ken Johnson and
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...
, as
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
players that were converted by the Cowboys to play professional
football. On August 26, he was released and later re-signed on September 23. As a rookie he played on the
nickel defense
American football, a nickel defense (also known as a 4–2–5 or 3–3–5) is any defensive alignment that uses five defensive backs, of whom the fifth is known as a nickelback. The original and most common form of the nickel defense features ...
on passing downs, tallying 13 tackles and one fumble recovery.
In
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...
, he registered 22 tackles and one pass defensed. He also started his first career game in the season finale against the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...
, replacing an injured
Ron Francis
Ronald Michael Francis Jr. (born March 1, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He is the general manager of the Seattle Kraken that inaugurated its first season in 2021. Drafted fourth overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, F ...
, while making 11 tackles and one pass defensed.
In
1988, he collected 31 tackles, one interception and 6 passes defensed. In
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...
, he registered 3 starts, 27 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 6 quarterback pressures, 17 passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
In
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, he became a starter, with 10 of his 11 starts coming at
right cornerback after passing
Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* Robert Williams (actor, born 1894) (1894–1931), American stage and film actor
* Robert B. Williams (actor) (1904–1978), American film actor
* R. J. Williams (born ...
on the depth chart. He finished with 65 tackles, one interception, 6 passes defensed, one quarterback pressure and one forced fumble.
The next year, he lost his starting job to rookie
Larry Brown after the third game. At the end of the
1991 season
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated ...
, he was left unprotected in
Plan B free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.
San Francisco 49ers
On April 2,
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...
, he was signed in
Plan B free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
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 ...
, but was cut in July.
Buffalo Bills
On July 31,
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...
, he signed as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
. He was released on August 31.
Personal life
Hendrix worked as the director of athletic relations and senior associate athletics director for development at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...
. He also owned Manny's Auto Detailing and was a manager and part owner of Matthews Restaurant in Dallas.
His son Manny Hendrix Jr., plays semi-professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
in Australia's
Big V basketball league.
References
External links
Hendric Back at U. Advising AthletesTransition Game : Dallas Rookie Tries to Turn the Corner From Basketball to NFL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendrix, Manny
1964 births
Living people
Basketball players from Phoenix, Arizona
Players of American football from Phoenix, Arizona
American football cornerbacks
Utah Utes men's basketball players
Dallas Cowboys players
American men's basketball players
Guards (basketball)