Henley was drafted in 1960 by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers in the 15th round (173rd overall), but chose to head to Canada, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he embarked on a 16 year career (1960 to 1975) of CFL greatness.

As a defensive back he intercepted 59 passes for 916 yards and 5 touchdowns, and was selected as an All Star nine times. An excellent two-way player, as a wide receiver he was an All Star for the 10th time in 1972. He also won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award that year in which the Tiger-Cats won the Grey Cup at their home field, Ivor Wynne Stadium. He played in 7 Grey Cup games, winning 4 of them.