In track and field, he competed in the pole vault, discus, shot put, javelin, hurdles and sprints. The high point of his track and field career came in 1933, when he won the decathlon at the Kansas Relays, scoring 7,432 points. What made that particular feat more impressive was the fact that he was competing with a pulled muscle in his right leg.

In addition to his athletic career at Central Missouri, Childress was named the school's most popular man in 1933 and was elected president of the Student Government Association even though his name was not on the ballot.

Following his collegiate career, he enjoyed a distinguished career in coaching, serving as the Mules' track and field coach, then coaching at Warrensburg, Mo., High School before going to Lee's Summit, Mo., in 1937, where he was coach, athletics director and administrator for a total of 32 years before his death in 1968. In 1945-46, he coached the school's football, basketball and track and field teams to an amazing year of success. The football team was undefeated, the basketball team lost only one game and the track and field team won the indoor and outdoor state titles. Upon his retirement, the Lee's Summit Board of Education established the Charles Childress Award to be awarded each year to the school's outstanding senior athlete.