Tennessee Titans: 30 greatest players in franchise history

• AFL All-Time Team
• 2x AFL Champion (1960-61)
• 3x First-Team All-AFL (1961-62, 1964)
• 5x AFL All-Star (1961-65)
• Second-Team All-AFL (1963)

Charley Hennigan might now be the biggest snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Oilers/Titans history now that outside linebacker Robert Brazile has gained enshrinement this past summer. So what’s the deal with Hennigan and why is his absence so egregious?

Well, all he did for the Oilers in the AFL from 1960 to 1966 was be arguably the best receiver in the game. An original Oiler, having been undrafted out of Northwestern State, Hennigan would start his professional career out as a back-to-back AFL champion in Houston.

He made five-straight AFL All-Star Games from 1961 to 1965. Hennigan made four-straight All-AFL Teams from 1961 to 1964. Three of those four All-AFL squads were of the First-Team variety. His one All-AFL Second-Team designation came in the 1963 AFL season.

In seven years with the Oilers, Hennigan had three seasons of over 1,000 yards receiving. He led the league twice in that department. In 1961, Hennigan had a ridiculous 1,746 receiving yards on 82 grabs for 12 touchdowns. He had 101 catches for 1,546 yards and eight touchdowns.

Hennigan amassed over 40 catches for 570 yards and four touchdowns in all of his first six seasons in the AFL. Yes, his last year in the AFL wasn’t great, as he had only 27 catches for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

Overall, Hennigan accumulated 410 receptions for 6,823 receiving yards and 51 touchdown catches in seven seasons with the Oilers. While the level of competition may not have been tier one, Hennigan’s receiving talent is undeniable. No wonder he made the AFL All-Time Team.