Pete Henry
| Pete Henry | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): OT |
Jersey numbers: 0, 13, 18, 20 |
| born October 31, 1897 in Mansfield , Ohio | |
| died on February 7, 1952 in Washington , Pennsylvania | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1920 - 1928 | |
| College : Washington & Jefferson College | |
| Teams | |
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player
Trainer
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 86 |
| as a starter | 74 |
| Touchdown | 1 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Wilbur Francis “Pete” Henry (born October 31, 1897 in Mansfield , Ohio , USA ; † February 7, 1952 in Washington , Pennsylvania ) was an American football player and coach. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Canton Bulldogs, among others .
Player career
College career
Henry studied from 1915 to 1919 at Washington & Jefferson College , where he played American football in the position of tackle . In 1918 he joined the US Army . However, he was able to continue his studies. The Army had set up a training camp on campus and Henry was required to attend. Despite a body weight of 111 kg and a height of 180 cm, which Henry also earned his nickname, he was an extremely agile player. His agility led the well-known sports journalist Grantland Rice to describe him as a "human rubber ball" .
In 1919 the University of Pittsburgh team refused to play against Henry's team. Those in charge of this college considered Henry an illegal college player for having attended army training in 1918. Although the officials of all colleges agreed to allow these players to play in their teams and the team from Pittsburgh had already played against teams that had players with the same problems in their ranks, Henry continued to avoid difficulties for his team the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Panthers won against their local rivals 7-6.
From 1917 to 1919 Pete Henry was elected All American .
Professional career
On September 17, 1920, Pete Henry was signed by the American Professional Football Association (APFA) team of the Canton Bulldogs. The APFA was the forerunner of the NFL and was founded at the same time as Henry was signed. Henry became a teammate with Joe Guyon and Jim Thorpe , who also coached the team. The Bulldogs had little success in 1920 and 1921. They did not succeed in winning the championship.
With Guy Chamberlin , a former Bulldog player returned to the Canton team in 1922 as a player-coach. The Bulldogs had a very good season, they won 10 games and only had to settle for a draw twice. Henry won his first championship title with his team . The following year, the Bulldogs get 11 wins in a draw, which meant that the championship title could be defended. Immediately after winning the championship, the Bulldogs were sold to Cleveland and renamed Indians. Most of the players switched with the team. Pete Henry wasn't among them. Because he couldn't agree on a contract with the Indians. He played for the Pottsville Maroons that year . The Maroons played in the Anthracite League in 1924. The league only existed for a year and the Maroons won the only championship title ever played.
After a brief stint with the Akron Pros , Henry returned to the re-established Bulldogs in 1925. In the same year he also became the team's assistant coach and in 1926 took over the position of head coach .
In 1927, Henry joined the New York Giants . The Giants already had the All-Star players Steve Owen and Cal Hubbard under contract and were able to sign Joe Guyon in the same year. The New York City team won the NFL championship that year. Henry's share in this title, however, was small. During the season he had moved to the Maroons, who had joined the NFL in 1925. After the 1928 season he ended his career there.
Pete Henry held the NFL record for the longest drop kick at 45 yards and the record for the longest punt at 94 yards for 12 years .
Coaching career
Pete Henry was the coach of the Canton Bulldogs in 1926 and took over this position in 1928 with the Pottsville Maroons. In 1931 he became a sports director at his old college; In 1942 and 1945 he was also a coach there. Henry remained director of sport at the college until his death in 1952, despite having had one leg amputated due to diabetes. Henry is buried in Mansfield Cemetery, a cemetery in his native town.
Honors
Pete Henry has been voted All-Pro four times . He is a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team , the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1963, and the College Football Hall of Fame since 1951 . His college named a sports hall after him and holds an annual golf tournament in his name.
Web links
- History of the Pottsville Maroons ( October 2, 2015 memento on the Internet Archive )
- Pete Henry at the New York Giants ( October 27, 2012 memento on the Internet Archive )
- Short biography of Pete Henry ( Memento from August 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Coach statistics
Individual evidence
- ↑ Body measurements of Pete Henry
- ↑ Annual Bulldog Statistics 1922
- ↑ Annual Bulldog Statistics 1923
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Giants 1927
- ↑ longest drop kick by Henry ( memento of the original from December 10, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Pete Henry's grave in the Find a Grave database
- ^ Henry Memorial Center
- ↑ Pete Henry Golf Outing
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Henry, Pete |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Henry, Wilbur Francis; Henry, Fats |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 31, 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mansfield , Ohio , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | 7th February 1952 |
| Place of death | Washington , Pennsylvania |