Mike Henry (American football)

Michael Dennis Henry, born on 15 August 1936 and died on 8 January 2021, was an American linebacker and film actor. He played at the University of Southern California, where he was co-captain of the 1957 team, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ninth round of the 1958 NFL draft. He played for Pittsburgh from 1958 until 1961 and then for the Los Angeles Rams from 1962 through 1964, after asking for a transfer so that he could pursue acting. On screen he is best known for playing Tarzan in three films shot back to back in 1965 and for playing Junior in the Smokey and the Bandit comedies. He died in Burbank, California, after years of complications from Parkinson's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.