A CFL All-Star, he was nicknamed as "the Big Chill" for his 6 feet 4 inch and 345 pound size.
Childress was immediately a starter at offensive guard as a freshman for Arkansas in 1985, helping the team finish 10-2 and beating the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 1985 Holiday Bowl, 18-17.
Childress and teammate Wayne Martin were suspended for the 1989 Cotton Bowl Classic by head coach Ken Hatfield for undisclosed reasons, and Arkansas lost the Cotton Bowl to Troy Aikman and the UCLA Bruins, 17-3.
[citation needed] Childress was selected in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
He then went on to an 8-year stay with the Calgary Stampeders, where he was an all-star 6 times, received the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in 1998, the DeMarco-Becket Memorial Trophy in 1997 and won the Grey Cup in 1998 and 2001.