Chad Hennings Chad William Hennings ( born October 20 , 1965 ) is a former American football defensive tackle for the Air Force Academy Falcons and Dallas Cowboys . He won the Outland Trophy in his senior year of college . 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 Cowboys , and played in the National Football League , winning three Super Bowl s . Early years . High school and college . While at Benton Community High School in Van Horne , Iowa , Hennings became an all - state football standout and the state heavyweight wrestling champion his senior year . After being offered full scholarships from different universities he chose to attend the United States Air Force Academy . Lettering as a freshman , he started his college football career as a tight end . Hennings was moved to defensive tackle in his sophomore season , became a starter and made the All - - WAC second team . That 1985 season saw the greatest year in Air Force history as the Falcons went 12 - 1 , were conference co - champions , defeated Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl and placed fifth in the final coaches poll . During his junior year he became a dominant defensive player , was named to the first of two All - Conference teams , the first of two Academic All - American teams and the second of three Academic All - WAC honors . His senior year in 1987 , he led the nation with 24 sacks , was a unanimous first - team All - American selection received the Stan Bates Award as the conference ' s top scholar - athlete , earned defensive player of the year honors from the Western Athletic Conference and the Outland Trophy as the nation ' s top interior lineman . He also played in numerous postseason all - star games including the Japan Bowl and the East - West Shrine Game . Hennings is a member of the Western Athletic Conference all - time team and was named WAC defensive player of the decade for the 1980s . 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 . He was also inducted into the GTE Academic All - American Hall of Fame . USAF . After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1988 , Hennings entered undergraduate pilot training at Sheppard Air Force Base , Texas , as part of the Euro - NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training ( ENJJPT ) Program conducted by the 80th Flying Training Wing . The ENJJPT was considered an elite program , and when his ground training studies faltered ( he had been an honor student at AFA ) , his squadron commander isolated him from all contact regarding the Dallas Cowboys , who had drafted him in April 1989 . After UPT , Hennings completed Lead - In Fighter Training and because of his size , was eligible only for F - 111 , F - 15 Eagle , or A - 10 Thunderbolt II RTU . He became an A - 10 pilot and was assigned to the 92d Tactical Fighter Squadron , a unit of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing based at RAF Bentwaters in the United Kingdom , in June 1990 . While with the 92d TFS , Hennings deployed twice to the Persian Gulf . From April to June 1991 , and October 1991 to January 1992 , based at Incirlik Air Base , Turkey , Henning flew 45 A - 10 missions in support of Operation Provide Comfort , an effort that helped provide relief and humanitarian aid to Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq . He was twice awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal , a humanitarian award and an Outstanding Unit Award for his actions in the service . He was promoted to captain on June 1 , 1992 . National Football League career . Because of his Air Force military commitment ( originally 8 years ) , he dropped in the 1988 NFL Draft until the Cowboys took a chance and drafted him in the 11th round with no indication of an early out from the Air Force . After the 1991 Gulf War , the United States military underwent an across the board reduction in budget and Hennings was able to have the remaining four years of his active - duty commitment ( service academy and rated pilot ) waived , which was unprecedented at the time . He continued service in the Air Force Reserve for nine years as a liaison officer to the Air Force Academy after his separation from active duty , then went into the Individual Ready Reserve . While entering into the NFL , there were some rumors about the Cowboys trading him to the Denver Broncos , but when Jimmy Johnson saw his workout for the team , those plans were canceled . In 1992 , he left the Air Force and joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27 - year - old rookie , quickly becoming a key reserve , on one of the best defensive line rotations in the NFL . In 1996 he became a starter , replacing Russell Maryland who left via free agency to the Oakland Raiders . While his play on the field was very good , it was his attitude , character and leadership that was also valuable to the Cowboys teams of that decade , contributing to the top ranked defenses of the early nineties and winning 3 Super Bowl s in 4 years . 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 missing half of the 2000 season with injuries . Life after football . Hennings is married and has two children . Following his football career , Hennings became a Christian motivational speaker and author . His self - help book for men , " Rules of Engagement : Finding Friendship , Faith , and Strength in a Disconnected World " was published in 2009 . In November 2012 , Hennings was named as a 2013 recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award , presented each year to six distinguished former college student - athletes on the 25th anniversary of the completion of their college sports careers .