As a member of the famed "Alberta Crude" defence, Hentschel won three Grey Cups with the Eskimos (1978 to 1980). Many[who?] felt that his skills were under-appreciated because he played next to three all-stars: Dave Fennell, Ron Estay and David Boone.
Hentschel took an improbable route to pro football. Having played two years of junior football with the Red Deer Packers and having played at Drake University, he was discovered by Edmonton coach Ray Jauch while working as a lifeguard in Miami, Florida.
He was admired and respected by his teammates.[citation needed] A man of few words, Tom Wilkinson said: "In all the time he was here, I don't know if he said 20 words." He died of organ failure in Edmonton in March 2006. On November 19, 2008, the CBC Television show The Fifth Estate suggested that Hentschel, who went through years of alcohol and drug abuse and depression, was affected by years of unreported head injuries from playing professional football. Teammates David Boone and Bill Stevenson are believed to have had the same injuries.[1]
