Steve Hendrickson, a feisty linebacker at Cal in the late 1980s who went on to play seven seasons in the NFL, died Friday at his home in Idaho at the age of 54. No cause of death was given.
Hendrickson was a two-sport star at Napa High before going to Cal. The 49ers picked Hendrickson in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft, and he played on the 49ers’ Super Bowl-winning team in 1990.
He played in exactly 100 games in the NFL with five teams. He was with the San Diego Chargers in 1994 — the year they met the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Hendrickson also played for the Cowboys, Oilers and Eagles.
Hendrickson said he sustained an estimated 20 concussions during more than a decade in college and pro ball, according to a story in the Napa Valley Register.
A former two-Time, Monticello Empire League Player of the Year, Hendrickson was part of several huge Vallejo and Napa high school football games. That series is one of the oldest in the state of California. He was a fullback and linebacker in high school.
Hendrickson was a member of the 1988 Pac-10 All-Academic team and the MVP of the 1988 Blue Gray All-Star game. A native of Napa, Hendrickson was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 player as a senior in 1988.
Hendrickson was given the team’s Joe Roth Award in 1988, for representing the courage, sportsmanship and attitude of the late Cal quarterback legend.
Hendrickson is survived by two children, daughter Courtney, who was an all-conference goalkeeper on Cal’s field hockey team in 2013, and son Kyle, who played football at Fresno State from 2015 through 2017.
![Vacaville High School battled its way back to a series tie against Vanden Wednesday night, shutting out the Vikings, 3-0. The win, following. brutal 10-0 loss at Vanden on Monday, put the Bulldogs one and a half games up on Vanden atop the Monticello Empire League standings. Vacaville cleaned up its play on defense and leaned on a brilliant performance by starting pitcher Tyler Chalk, while the offense found ways to beg, borrow and steal enough runs for a gritty midweek win. Chalk allowed just two hits and three walks through a six-inning shift, setting up Landon Dodge to come […]](https://www.timesheraldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/VACBASEVSVAN1.jpg?w=497 "Vacaville High School battled its way back to a series tie against Vanden Wednesday night, shutting out the Vikings, 3-0. The win, following. brutal 10-0 loss at Vanden on Monday, put the Bulldogs one and a half games up on Vanden atop the Monticello Empire League standings. Vacaville cleaned up its play on defense and leaned on a brilliant performance by starting pitcher Tyler Chalk, while the offense found ways to beg, borrow and steal enough runs for a gritty midweek win. Chalk allowed just two hits and three walks through a six-inning shift, setting up Landon Dodge to come […]")
