A former Professional Football running back. Wendell played college football at Humboldt State University. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys in 1963-1964 and in the American Football League for the Denver Broncos from 1965–1967, then for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs from 1968 through 1969, when he was on the Chiefs team that won the AFL Championship and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth and final AFL-NFL World Championship Game. He played for the NFL's Chiefs from 1970 through 1974.