American sports coach and college athletics administrator For the U.S. Chief of Protocol, see Cam Henderson (diplomat). Cam Henderson Henderson at Marshall University in 1936 Biographical details Born| (1890-02-05)February 5, 1890 Joetown, West Virginia Died| May 3, 1956(1956-05-03) (aged 66) Richmond, Kentucky Coaching career (HC unless noted) Football 1920–1922| Muskingum 1923–1934| Davis & Elkins 1935–1949| Marshall Basketball 1920–1923| Muskingum 1923–1935| Davis & Elkins 1935–1955| Marshall Baseball 1938| Marshall Administrative career (AD unless noted) 1935–1948| Marshall Head coaching record Overall| 161–91–13 (college football) 621–234 (college basketball) 6–3 (college baseball) Bowls| 1–0 Accomplishments and honors Championships Football Buckeye (1937) Basketball NAIA (1947) Eli Camden Henderson (February 5, 1890 – May 3, 1956) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Muskingum College (1920–1922), Davis & Elkins College (1923–1934), and Marshall University (1935–1949), compiling a career college football record of 161–91–13. Henderson was also the head basketball coach at Muskingum (1920–1923), Davis & Elkins (1923–1935), and Marshall (1935–1955), tallying a career college basketball mark of 621–234. As a coach in basketball, he originated the fast break and the 2–3 zone defense, hallmarks of the modern game. ## Contents * 1 Early life and education * 2 High school coaching career * 3 College coaching career * 3.1 Marshall * 3.2 Awards * 4 Death * 5 Head coaching record * 5.1 College football * 5.2 College basketball * 5.3 College baseball * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 Bibliography * 9 External links ## Early life and education[edit] Henderson was born in 1890 in the small town of Joetown in Marion County, West Virginia. He graduated from Glenville Normal School in 1911. ## High school coaching career[edit] Henderson began coaching at Shinnston High School in rural West Virginia, then moved to Bristol, West Virginia, where no gymnasium existed on his arrival. Henderson managed to have a gym constructed there, but poorly-cured wood and a leaky roof resulted in a slippery floor. Henderson began to distribute his defenders in "zones" to avoid the slick spots. He then developed an offense of "breaking fast" off a missed basketball, with two forwards tearing down each sideline and a point guard bringing the ball up the court quickly for a number of options. Henderson is credited with the creation of the 2–3 zone defense and the fast break in basketball.[1] ## College coaching career[edit] Henderson moved on to a head coaching position in football and basketball at Muskingum College in Ohio in 1920, but his greatest glory came during the period of 1923 to 1934 as head basketball and football coach of Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. Henderson coached the first undefeated (22–0) West Virginia collegiate basketball team (1924–25) at Davis & Elkins and coached the first (proclaimed) D&E state collegiate football championship team in 1928. Henderson's 1933 team won the West Virginia Athletic Conference title. At Davis & Elkins, Henderson had a 220–40 record in basketball and an 81–33–6 record in football. His Davis & Elkins football teams beat much larger schools like West Virginia University, Army, Fordham, Villanova, George Washington and Navy. ### Marshall[edit] Henderson assumed a position at Marshall College, now Marshall University, in 1935, after Marshall had hired Dr. John Allen from D&E to be President of Marshall. Henderson was hired as athletic director and head coach for basketball and football. Henderson would win 68 football games and one Buckeye Conference title (a 9–0–1 season in 1937). He sent the Thundering Herd to the 1948 Tangerine Bowl and he produced College Football Hall of Fame running back Jackie Hunt, who set the national scoring mark with 27 touchdowns in 1940. His basketball teams won 368 games and won the Buckeye Conference in 1936–37, 1937–38 and 1938–39, the final year for the league. He won 35 straight home games from 1944 to 1947, started the 1946–47 season 17–0, then went on to a 32–5 mark and Marshall's only national championship in basketball in the NAIB (today's NAIA) Basketball Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. Henderson also sent teams to the 1938 and 1948 tournament. His 1947–48 team won the Helms Foundation's Los Angeles Invitational by defeating Syracuse, 46–44. Henderson's first All-Americans were Bill Smith for football (1937) and Jule Rivlin for basketball (1940). He sent numerous players to the professional ranks, including Frank "Gunner" Gatski (Marshall 1940–42), who is the first of the Herd's two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Gatski went on to play in 11 title games in 12 seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1946–56) and Detroit Lions (1957), winning four All-American Football Conference and three NFL titles with the Browns and one NFL title with the Lions. Henderson also recruited the first African-American to play at the formerly all-white colleges of West Virginia when he signed Hal Greer from Huntington in 1954. Greer helped Marshall to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in 1955–56, then led the nation in scoring in 1957–58 with 88 points per game. Greer signed with the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA, but went on to greatest glory with the Philadelphia 76ers by winning the title in 1966–67 and becoming a multi-year All-Star and MVP of the 1968 All-Star game. Greer, named as one of the top 50 players in the NBA 50th Anniversary, averaged 19 points per game (1,122 games played), five rebounds and four assists and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. Marshall had three basketball wins over Tennessee and Colorado during Henderson's tenure. They beat the Dayton Flyers 17 times and topped teams like BYU, South Carolina, Cincinnati, Long Island, St. Francis, St. Louis, Loyola, Virginia Tech, Cal, Louisville, Denver, Wichita State, Miami-Florida, City College of New York, Xavier, Indiana State, Maryland, Murray State, Western Kentucky, Kansas State, Creighton, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Evansville, Pepperdine, Texas A&M, Memphis (State), Southern Miss and Virginia. Over 20 seasons they had only one losing campaign, going 6–10 in Henderson's first year. His teams won as many as 32 games and they won 20 or more games eight times. He produced the first-ever first round draft pick for the NBA, Andy Tonkovich, and produced All-Americans like Walt Walowac (two-times on Helms Foundation Teams, first in 1953, third in 1954 and scored 1,982 career points). NAIB All-Americans in 1947 and 1948 included Gene James, who played in the NBA, Bill Hall, Bill Toothman, Marvin Gutshall and Tonkovich. Rivlin was on the AP Little All-American team in 1940. Charlie Slack set a still-standing NCAA record of 25.4 rebounds per game for Henderson's final team in 1954–55, and finished his career with 1,916 rebounds and 1,551 points in four seasons. Slack and Walowac played for the Goodyear Winged Foots of Akron, Ohio, in national and international AAU contests, and Slack was an alternate for the 1960 Olympic team. After a 6–4 season in 1949, Director of Athletics Luther Poling asked Henderson to resign his football position. Henderson would remain at Marshall as head basketball coach until 1955. His championship basketball team of 1947 spurred the move into the new Cabell County Veteran's Memorial Field House, a 6,500-seat arena that was Marshall's home from 1950 to 1980. His final team in 1954–55 was 18–4, but the MAC prevented Marshall from accepting an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament. Henderson's failing health from diabetes forced him to step down after the season and he would die that summer. ### Awards[edit] Marshall has a Cam Henderson Award for the top student-athlete and the building that houses the athletic department and the 9,000-seat Marshall basketball arena are named the Cam Henderson Center. In 2007, Emmy Award-winning producer and director Deborah Novak and John Witek released "Cam Henderson: A Coach's Story" on public television and DVD to great acclaim. The film was honored with a first place Platinum Award at the Worldfest of Film in Houston, Texas. Cam Henderson has been inducted into the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, the West Virginia Sports Writers Hall of Fame, the D&E Hall of Fame, the Marshall Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame. ## Death[edit] Henderson died on May 3, 1956, while visiting his daughter in Richmond, Kentucky. He had suffered a heart attack several months before in Huntington and spent several weeks recovering in a hospital there.[2] ## Head coaching record[edit] ### College football[edit] Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | | | | | Muskingum Fighting Muskies (Independent) (1920–1921) 1920 | Muskingum | 4–4 | | | 1921 | Muskingum | 4–3–2 | | | Muskingum Fighting Muskies (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1922) 1922 | Muskingum | 4–5 | 1–4 | 17th | Muskingum: | 12–12–2 | 1–4 | Davis & Elkins Scarlet Hurricane (Independent) (1923) 1923 | Davis & Elkins | | | | Davis & Elkins Scarlet Hurricane (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1924–1934) 1924 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1925 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1926 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1927 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1928 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1929 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1930 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1931 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1932 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1933 | Davis & Elkins | | | | 1934 | Davis & Elkins | | | | Davis & Elkins: | 81–33–6 | | Marshall Thundering Herd (Buckeye Athletic Association) (1935–1938) 1935 | Marshall | 4–6 | 0–5 | 6th | 1936 | Marshall | 6–3–1 | 2–2–1 | 3rd | 1937 | Marshall | 9–0–1 | 4–0–1 | 1st | 1938 | Marshall | 5–4 | 2–2 | 3rd | Marshall Thundering Herd (Independent) (1939–1947) 1939 | Marshall | 9–2 | | | 1940 | Marshall | 8–2 | | | 1941 | Marshall | 7–1 | | | 1942 | Marshall | 1–7–1 | | | 1943 | No team—World War II | | | | 1944 | No team—World War II | | | | 1945 | No team—World War II | | | | 1946 | Marshall | 2–7–1 | | | 1947 | Marshall | 9–3 | | | L Tangerine Marshall Thundering Herd (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948–1949) 1948 | Marshall | 2–7–1 | | | 1949 | Marshall | 6–4 | 4–0 | | Marshall: | 68–46–5 | 12–9–2 | Total: | 161–91–13 | National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth ### College basketball[edit] Statistics overview Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | | | | | Muskingum Fighting Muskies (Independent) (1920–1922) 1920–21 | Muskingum | 20–4 | | | 1921–22 | Muskingum | 8–10 | | | Muskingum Fighting Muskies (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1922–1923) 1922–23 | Muskingum | 6–11 | | | Muskingum: | 34–25 (.576) | | Davis & Elkins Scarlet Hurricane (Independent) (1923–1924) 1923–24 | Davis & Elkins | 10–7 | | | Davis & Elkins Scarlet Hurricane (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1924–1935) 1924–25 | Davis & Elkins | 22–0 | | | 1925–26 | Davis & Elkins | 15–4 | | | 1926–27 | Davis & Elkins | 23–3 | | | 1927–28 | Davis & Elkins | 14–4 | | | 1928–29 | Davis & Elkins | 20–5 | | | 1929–30 | Davis & Elkins | 22–3 | | | 1930–31 | Davis & Elkins | 17–4 | | | 1931–32 | Davis & Elkins | 19–2 | | | 1932–33 | Davis & Elkins | 15–8 | | | 1933–34 | Davis & Elkins | 11–6 | | | 1934–35 | Davis & Elkins | 27–4 | | | Davis & Elkins: | 225–50 (.818) | | Marshall Thundering Herd (Independent) (1935–1948) 1935–36 | Marshall | 6–10 | | | 1936–37 | Marshall | 23–8 | | | 1937–38 | Marshall | 28–4 | | | NAIA Second Round 1938–39 | Marshall | 22–5 | | | 1939–40 | Marshall | 26–3 | | | 1940–41 | Marshall | 14–9 | | | 1941–42 | Marshall | 15–9 | | | 1942–43 | Marshall | 10–7 | | | 1943–44 | Marshall | 15–7 | | | 1944–45 | Marshall | 17–9 | | | 1945–46 | Marshall | 24–10 | | | 1946–47 | Marshall | 32–5 | | | NAIA Champion 1947–48 | Marshall | 22–11 | | | NAIA Second Round Marshall Thundering Herd (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948–1952) 1948–49 | Marshall | 16–12 | 2–2 | 4th | 1949–50 | Marshall | 15–9 | 5–4 | 3rd | 1950–51 | Marshall | 13–13 | 2–6 | 6th | 1951–52 | Marshall | 15–11 | 5–7 | 4th | Marshall Thundering Herd (Independent) (1952–1953) 1952–53 | Marshall | 20–4 | | | Marshall Thundering Herd (Mid-American Conference) (1953–1955) 1953–54 | Marshall | 12–9 | 6–7 | 4th | 1954–55 | Marshall | 17–4 | 10–4 | 2nd | Marshall: | 362–159 (.695) | 30–30 (.500) | Total: | 621–234 (.726) | National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion ### College baseball[edit] Statistics overview Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | | | | | Marshall Thundering Herd (Independent) (1938) 1938 | Marshall | 6–3 | | | Marshall: | 6–3 (.667) | | Total: | 6–3 (.667) | ## See also[edit] * List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins ## References[edit] 1. ^ Coach Don Casey & Ralph Pim, Own the Zone – Executing & attacking the zone defense, New York: McGraw Hill, 2008, pg.18 & 19 2. ^ "Cam Henderson, 66, Former Coach, Dies In Kentucky". The Daily Courier. Connellsville, Pennsylvania. United Press. May 4, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved December 24, 2018 - via Newspapers.com . ## Bibliography[edit] * Books: * Marshall University 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide, Huntington, W.Virginia, Chapman Printing, 2007. * Marshall University 2007 Football Media Guide, Huntington, W.Virginia, Chapman Printing, 2007. * The Cam Henderson Story, Dr. Sam Clagg, Huntington, W.Virginia, Marshall University Press, 1981 * Sports In West Virginia, Doug Huff, Donning Company/Publishers, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 1979 * Marshall University: An Institution Comes Of Age 1837–1980, Dr. Charles Moffat, Marshall University Alumni Association, 1980 * DVD: * Cam Henderson: A Coach's Story, Deborah Novak/John Witek, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, 2007 * Ashes To Glory, D. Novak/J. Witek, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, 2000 ## External links[edit] * Cam Henderson at Find a Grave Links to related articles * v * t * e Muskingum Fighting Muskies head football coaches * Arthur B. Gill (1895–1896) * Unknown (1897–1901) * Kenneth Wilson Cleland (1902) * James R. McFarland (1903) * Ted Schrontz (1904) * E. A. Moore (1905) * Walter Mueller (1906) * John Farson (1907) * Ralph Adair Hutchinson (1908) * Ewing (1909) * Evan J. Jones (1910) * Bill Caldwell (1911) * W. D. Cole (1912) * Roland Bevan (1913–1914) * Greasy Neale (1915) * John Felton (1916) * Ray Michaels (1917) * Hi Pollock (1918) * Ray Michaels (1919) * Cam Henderson (1920–1922) * Bill Lange (1923–1935) * Stu Holcomb (1936–1940) * Al Baisler (1942–1944) * Ed Sherman (1945–1966) * Bob Stokes (1967–1969) * Al Christopher (1970–1980) * Jeff Heacock (1981–2006) * Al Logan (2007–2017) * Erik Ieuter (2018– ) * v * t * e Marshall Thundering Herd athletic directors * Boyd Chambers (1909–1917) * Burton Shipley (1917–1919) * Arch Reilly (1919–1920) * Herbert Cramer (1920–1921) * Skeeter Shelton (1921–1923) * J. E. R. Barnes (1923–1926) * Roy Hawley (1926–1935) * Cam Henderson (1935–1948) * Luther Poling (1948–1951) * Robert Morris (1951–1959) * Whitey Wilson (1959–1967) * Eddie Barrett (1967–1969) * Charles Kautz (1970) * Ed Starling # (1970–1971) * Joe McMullen (1971–1979) * Lynn Snyder (1979–1984) * Ed Starling # (1984–1985) * David Braine (1985–1987) * Judy Southard # (1987–1988) * Lee Moon (1988–1996) * Lance West (1996–2002) * Bob Marcum (2002–2009) * Mike Hamrick (2009–2021) * Jeff O'Malley # (2021–2022) * Christian Spears (2022– ) # denotes interim athletic director * v * t * e Marshall Thundering Herd head football coaches * No coach (1895) * No team (1896) * No coach (1897–1902) * George Ford (1903–1904) * Alfred McCray (1905) * Pearl Rardin (1906–1907) * William G. Vinal (1908) * Boyd Chambers (1909–1916) * Burton Shipley (1917) * No team (1918) * Arch Reilly (1919) * Herbert Cramer (1920) * Skeeter Shelton (1921–1922) * Harrison Briggs (1923) * Russ Meredith (1924) * Charles Tallman (1925–1928) * John Maulbetsch (1929–1930) * Tom Dandelet (1931–1934) * Cam Henderson (1935–1942) * No team (1943–1945) * Cam Henderson (1946–1949) * Pete Pederson (1950–1952) * Herb Royer (1953–1958) * Charlie Snyder (1959–1967) * Perry Moss (1968) * Rick Tolley (1969–1970) * Jack Lengyel (1971–1974) * Frank Ellwood (1975–1978) * Sonny Randle (1979–1983) * Stan Parrish (1984–1985) * George Chaump (1986–1989) * Jim Donnan (1990–1995) * Bob Pruett (1996–2004) * Mark Snyder (2005–2009) * Rick Minter # (2009) * Doc Holliday (2010–2020) * Charles Huff (2021– ) # denotes interim head coach * v * t * e Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball head coaches * L. B. Crotty (1906–1908) * Boyd Chambers (1908–1910) * No team (1910–1911) * Boyd Chambers (1911–1914) * No team (1914–1918) * Arch Reilly (1918–1919) * No team (1919–1920) * Skeeter Shelton (1920–1921) * Herbert Cramer (1921–1922) * J. E. R. Barnes (1922–1923) * Bill Strickling (1923–1924) * Russ Meredith (1924–1925) * Charles Tallman (1925–1926) * Bill Strickling (1926–1927) * Johnny Stuart (1927–1931) * Tom Dandelet (1931–1935) * Cam Henderson (1935–1955) * Jule Rivlin (1955–1963) * Ellis T. Johnson (1963–1969) * Stewart Way (1969–1971) * Carl Tacy (1971–1972) * Bob Daniels (1972–1977) * Stu Aberdeen (1977–1979) * Bob Zuffelato (1979–1983) * Rick Huckabay (1983–1989) * Dana Altman (1989–1990) * Dwight Freeman (1990–1994) * Billy Donovan (1994–1996) * Greg White (1996–2003) * Ron Jirsa (2003–2007) * Donnie Jones (2007–2010) * Tom Herrion (2010–2014) * Dan D'Antoni (2014– ) * v * t * e Marshall Thundering Herd head baseball coaches * Unknown (1896) * No team (1897) * Unknown (1898–1900) * M. M. Scott (1901–1902) * George Ford (1903–1904) * Pennypacker (1905) * No team (1906–1909) * Boyd Chambers (1910–1917) * Burton Shipley (1918) * Carl Ridgley (1919) * Arch Reilly (1920) * Herbert Cramer (1921) * Skeeter Shelton (1922–1923) * Harrison Briggs (1924) * Russ Meredith (1925) * No team (1926) * Johnny Stuart (1927–1932) * Roy Hawley (1933–1935) * Francis Farley (1936–1937) * Cam Henderson (1938) * No team (1939–1941) * Kyle Tackett (1942) * Johnny Watson (1943) * No team (1944–1946) * Joe Binns (1947–1949) * Howard Hood (1950–1951) * Joe Binns (1952–1954) * Jack Cook (1955) * Bill Chambers (1956–1960) * Alvis Brown (1961–1965) * Jack Cook (1966–1989) * Howie McCann (1990–1995) * Craig Antush (1996–1998) * David Piepenbrink (1998–2006) * Jeff Waggoner (2007–2022) * Greg Beals (2023– ) Authority control General| * VIAF * 1 * WorldCat National libraries| * United States Other| * FAST *[v]: View this template *[t]: Discuss this template *[e]: Edit this template