How many Super Bowl rings does Ted Hendricks have?

Ted Hendricks, a three-time All-America selection at linebacker and defensive end at the University of Miami, started his 15-year pro football career as the Baltimore Colts’ second-round selection in the 1969 AFL-NFL Draft. He won 4 Super Bowl rings during his time in the NFL.

In the National Football League, Hendricks spent 15 seasons as an outside linebacker with the Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (NFL). After being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987, he played on four Super Bowl-winning teams and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He stands out for being the first NFL player born in Guatemala.

Image Credits – Pro Football HOF

Hendricks was born in Guatemala City to an American father and Angela Bonatti Lazzari, a Guatemalan-born Italian woman. Ted played football and participated in discus and shot-put competitions while attending Hialeah High School. Ted is a native Spanish speaker who was raised bilingual.

At the University of Miami, Hendricks participated in collegiate football. From 1966 to 1968, he was a stand-up defensive end at the University of Miami. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 and was a two-time All-American (1967 and 1968). In 1966, he was again chosen for the second team All-America. Hendricks joined the fraternity Kappa Sigma as a student.

The Baltimore Colts selected Hendricks in the second round of the 1969 AFL-NFL Draft when he began his professional football career. He had an odd number (for a linebacker) of 83 since he was originally designated as a defensive end. He began 69 consecutive starts with the Colts in the sixth game of his debut season in 1969 after being switched to linebacker by coach Don Shula.

He was crucial to the Colts’ victory in Super Bowl V in 1970. He had 67 tackles, one and a half sacks, and one pass interception while serving as the team’s starting strong-side linebacker. In addition, he intercepted 5 passes and stopped 2 kicks.

He was selected to the All-Pro second team in 1972 and 1973. His final five seasons with the Colts were spent playing without a contract.

Unexpectedly, the Colts dealt Hendricks to the Green Bay Packers after five seasons. However, the larger shock was when the Packers let Hendricks exercise his option and join with the Oakland Raiders following what was perhaps his best season. He made five pass interceptions, seven kickoff blocks, and one safety that season. Prior to his retirement following the 1983 season, he played with the Raiders for an additional nine seasons.

Hendricks, who weighs 6-7,220-pounds, was deceptively efficient. He was tall and somewhat slender, but he was a powerful tackler who excelled at blocking punts, field goals, and extra-point tries. He was also quick and strong. He was the sort of player who could utterly sabotage an offensive.

Hendricks played in 215 straight regular-season games, eight Pro Bowls, seven AFC Championship Games, and four Super Bowls while seeming unbreakable (V with the Colts, XI, XV, XVIII with the Raiders). As a Colt in 1971, a Packer in 1974, and a Raider in 1980 and 1982, he was awarded All-Pro. Five more times, he received second-team All-Pro honors.

 

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