It’s rare in today’s world of highly paid professional athletes to find an athlete who legitimately loves to “play the game.”

Ted Hennings is one such athlete.

Hennings, who starred as a defensive tackle on the 1989 NIU football team that went 9-2, is now making a living as a member of the Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League, and he’s having a lot of fun doing it.

“I’m having the most fun I’ve had since high school,” Hennings said. “I’m a starter on both sides of the ball (defensive end and right guard) and the enthusiasm’s great. We play in front of 15,000 people every night and the action is fast.”

The reasons Hennings is enjoying himself stem from the fact that he is playing the game he loves and there is less “politics” involved in Arena Football than in other professional leagues.

“There’s less politics in this league than in the NFL or the WLAF and even college football,” Hennings said. “It’s just like playing high school football with all of the enthusiasm and I’m playing with guys that are ex-NFL and USFL players.”

Hennings is hoping that his Detroit team can return to the Arena Bowl on Aug. 17. Detroit has won the league title the last three seasons.

When the Arena football season ends, Hennings is planning on returning to DeKalb to get his degree. In the meantime, Hennings will still be around the gridiron as an assistant coach for Sycamore High School.