Henry Childs, Saints Tight End 1974-1980
Reliable Tight End from the 1970s
Henry Childs started out with the Atlanta Falcons as a 5th round pick from Kansas State in 1974. Before the seasons end though he had been acquired by New Orleans and by 1976 he was the Saint’s starting tight end. For the next 7 seasons he was one of the team’s most productive players.
He remained with New Orleans until 1980. His 207 catches ranks 19th on the Saints franchise All-Time Career Catches list and his 27 Touchdown Catches is #8 for Career Touchdown catches.
In 1977 he set a new Saints team record of 9 Touchdown Catches in Regular Season. That record stood until it was broken by Joe Horn in 2003. In 1979 he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl when his 846 yards was the best among all NFL Tight Ends. Henry Childs stayed in New Orleans until 1981 when he went to the Rams. He finished his NFL career with 1 season in Green Bay in 1984
In 1994 he was the 11th former Saints player to be inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2016 from a massive heart attack while driving in his hometown of Thomasville Georgia.
Henry Childs Career Stats with Saints
| Year | Age | Games Started | Catches | Yards | Y/R | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | 24 | 4 | 10 | 179 | 17.9 | 38 | 0 |
| 1976 | 25 | 11 | 26 | 349 | 13.4 | 46t | 3 |
| 1977 | 26 | 10 | 33 | 518 | 15.7 | 59t | 9 |
| 1978 | 27 | 16 | 53 | 869 | 16.4 | 52 | 4 |
| 1979+ | 28 | 16 | 51 | 846 | 16.6 | 51 | 5 |
| 1980 | 29 | 7 | 34 | 463 | 13.6 | 30 | 6 |
| 1981 | 30 | 7 | 12 | 145 | 12.1 | 39 | 1 |
| 1984 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 17 | 0 |
| Care | Care | 73 | 223 | 3401 | 15.3 | 59 | 28 |
| 7 Years Saints | 64 | 207 | 3224 | 15.6 | 59t | 27 | |
- + – Pro Bowl Selection
