Chad Hennings is a former professional defensive tackle. He attended the Air Force Academy, and won the Outland Trophy in his senior year of college in 1987.

Despite facing an obligation to enter the Air Force upon graduating the Academy, Hennings was selected in the eleventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, and played in the NFL from 1992 to 2000. In 1992, he left the U.S. Air Force and joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 26-year-old rookie, playing on special teams and quickly becoming a key reserve, on one of the best defensive line rotations in the NFL. In 1995, he registered his first start. The next year, he replaced Russell Maryland who left via free agency. 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 Bowls in 4 years. He spent nine seasons with the team, before retiring after missing half of the 2000 season with injuries. He finished with 27.5 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries and one touchdown in 107 games.

Following his football career, Hennings became a Christian motivational speaker and author. He published a self-help book for men in 2009. Hennings was named the 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.