Josiah Henson

Josiah (Joe) Henson (born February 24, 1922 in Bristow , Oklahoma , † April 4, 2012 in Tulsa , Oklahoma) was an American wrestler . He won a bronze free style featherweight medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 .

Life

Josiah (Joe) Henson was born in Bristow, Oklahoma and attended high school there. In 1941 he joined the US Navy and attended the US Naval Academy, which he graduated with an officer's patent in 1944. Prior to his time at the Naval Academy, he was stationed on the US 7th Fleet's USS.California warship and was on the ship when it was sunk by the Japanese in Pearl Harbor in 1941 . But he could be saved. During the Second World War he also took part in the famous battle in Leyte Golf.

After the end of the Second World War, he trained as a naval aviator. During his time in the Navy, he was stationed in many places, including a. in Panama and Guantanamo Bay . He was also a long-time teacher at the US Naval Academy in Fort Worth and Atlanta .

Joe Henson left the US Navy in 1969 as a colonel. He started his own business as a sporting goods retailer and also represented a well-known German sporting goods company in the United States .

Career as a wrestler

Joe Henson began wrestling while he was in high school. As was customary at these schools back then, he only wrestled in free style. After joining the US Navy, he became a member of the wrestling team in this branch of service and temporarily also served as the head coach of the Navy selection team. As a wrestler, he was twice naval master in the US Navy. In 1952 he was then USA champion (AAU champion) in featherweight and also won the elimination (Trials) for the Olympic Games in Helsinki . In Helsinki he lost his first fight against Antonio Randi from Italy , then won against John Elliott, Australia , Geza Hoffmann , Hungary , Ibragim Dadaschew , Soviet Union and K. Mangave, India . He then lost to Bayram Şit from Turkey and Nasser Givechi from Iran . With these results he won an Olympic bronze medal .

This participation in the wrestling tournament at the 1952 Olympic Games was the only start of Joe Henson in an international championship.

Career in sports after active time

Joe Henson became one of the world's best judges after his playing days. He was a referee at many international championships (Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games). He also became a well-known sports official. At times he was "Acting President" of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). He was also President of the AAU (Amateur Athletes Union), the oldest amateur sports association in the world.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1952	bronze	OS in Helsinki	feather	after a defeat against Antonio Randi , Italy , victories over John Elliott, Australia , Geza Hoffmann , Hungary , Ibragim Dadaschew , USSR and K. Mangave, India and defeats against Bayram Şit , Turkey and Nasser Givechi , Iran

National successes

year	space	competition	Weight class
1952	1.	AAU Championship	feather
1952	1.	US Olympic Trials	feather

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• OS = Olympic Games
• Feather weight, back then up to 62 kg body weight

swell

• Athletics magazine
• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships, 1976
• Website "www.themat.com"

Web links

• Portrait of Josiah Henson in English
• Josiah Henson in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )