Hennigan attended LSU on a
track scholarship but wanted to play football. He therefore transferred to
Northwestern State University (then Northwestern State College) in
Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he became the star of the team. In 1960, he joined the
American Football League's Houston Oilers in the team's first year of operation. Prior to joining the Oilers, he had taught high school
biology at a salary of some $2,700 per year. He kept his teacher pay stub in his helmet to remind him that he must succeed in pro athletics. Hennigan scored the first touchdown in Oilers history, catching a 43-yard touchdown pass from
George Blanda in the first quarter against the
Oakland Raiders. That year, he caught 44 passes for 722 yards, averaging 16.4 yard per catch. He had six touchdowns. In the
1960 American Football League Championship Game, he caught four passes for 71 yards as the Oilers prevailed 24–16 to win the inaugural AFL title over the
Los Angeles Chargers. After a promising rookie season, in 1961, he started all 14 games and established himself as a superstar in the AFL by setting a single-season record with 1,746 yards receiving along with 12 touchdowns. His record stood for 34 years until it was surpassed by both
Jerry Rice and
Isaac Bruce in 1995. In October alone, he had 822 receiving yards, the most in a single calendar month. One of quarterback
George Blanda’s main targets, Hennigan was the second professional football player to catch more than a hundred passes in a single season (101 in 1964, an AFL record) and to twice gain over 1,500 yards receiving (1961 and 1964). He holds the all-time records for most games in a season with over 200 yards receiving with three, and most games in a season with over 100 yards receiving with 11. Hennigan had the All-time AFL single game record of 272 yards receiving, against the
Boston Patriots on October 13, 1961. The 13 passes caught in the game is tied for the most ever in the AFL, shared with
Lance Alworth,
Lionel Taylor, and
Sid Blanks. In the
1961 American Football League Championship Game, he had five catches for 43 yards as the Oilers prevailed for their second and final AFL title. On January 19, 1962, Minden observed "Charlie Hennigan" Day. Then
State Senator Harold Montgomery,
State Representative,
Parey Branton,
Mayor Frank T. Norman, and other local officials presented Hennigan with a signed document of his accomplishments. A luncheon and evening meal were served in his honor. The event was postponed because of hazardous weather the previous week. That year, he had 54 catches for 867 yards with eight touchdowns. In the AFL title game, he had three catches for 37 yards, but the Oilers lost in double overtime to the
Dallas Texans. Hennigan was selected by his peers as a
Sporting News AFL All-League offensive end in 1961, 1962, and 1964. He was an
American Football League Eastern Division All-Star five straight years (1961 - 1965), and retired after the 1966 season. He was selected to the
All-Time All-AFL Second Team. The
Professional Football Researchers Association named Hennigan to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2014. ==Career statistics==