Victory Lap: James Henry
Coach Retires After 42 Years Coaching Wolverines
Barbara Cossman
MICHIGAN WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD AND JAMES HENRY ARE SYNONYMOUS
For a program that achieved varsity status 45 years ago, the simple math justifies the statement: he’s been there for the entirety of its existence, first as a student-athlete for Michigan (1977-80) when the women’s program was launched by Kenneth “Red” Simmons in 1978, and then as a coach. James Henry spent 42 of the team’s 45 years coaching the Wolverines — 37 as head coach — until his retirement in June 2022.
________________________________
The first Black head coach of a Michigan varsity athletics team, Henry was hired in 1985 after four years as a U-M sprints and jumps assistant coach. He became the winningest women’s track and field coach in Big Ten history in 33 years at the helm of the women’s track and field program and another four seasons sharing head coach duties with Jerry Clayton for the combined men’s and women’s program. His tenure as head coach is surpassed at U-M only by wrestling’s Cliff Keen (42 years) and softball’s Carol Hutchins (38 years). “I have had the pleasure of coaching numerous Big Ten and national championship athletes, and even being able to coach athletes at the Olympics,” Henry said. “I have taken the most pride in watching so many of them do even more amazing things in their professional careers and lives beyond the track.”
His desire to help each of his student-athletes become the best versions of themselves is as true to our 'Leaders and Best' philosophy as his teams' many athletic successes.Warde Manuel, U-M Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics
Under Henry’s leadership, the Wolverines won a Big Ten-record 16 team titles between the indoor and outdoor seasons, and earned a pair of third-place NCAA Championships finishes among eight national top-10 team showings. He was 13 times named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and six times named the Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year. Powering that success were multiple generations of Wolverines in five different decades who accrued 16 national event titles, 193 All-America honors and 220 Big Ten titles. Three among those student-athletes who he directly coached — Nicole Forrester, Tiffany (Ofili) Porter and Cindy (Ofili) Sember — went on to compete at a combined six Olympic Games, with six additional Olympic appearances from student-athletes from other event groups. For all of the success his Wolverines achieved on the track and in the field, Henry has always prided himself most on preparing his student-athletes to realize and reach their full potential once their athletic careers concluded.
During his tenure, 11 women earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor in recognition of their accomplishments in competition, in the classroom and in the community. His teams were annually recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and its precursor organizations for their collective efforts in the classroom. And individually, Michigan student-athletes accumulated three Academic All-America of the Year honors, 20 Academic All-America honors, 111 USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, 147 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors and more than 600 Academic All-Big Ten honors.
________________________________
Coach James Henry had a profound impact on my life not only as an athlete, but also as a woman. Having worked with him while at U-M, to him coaching me as a professional athlete to my first Olympic Games, I will forever be grateful for the time and care he took to nurture my talent. I wish him nothing but the best in retirement, and I would like to thank him for his years of dedication.Tiffany (Ofili) Porter, PharmD, OLY
BY THE NUMBERS: CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
13-time Big Ten Coach of the Year
2005-09: nine top-15 finishes, including four straight top-10 showings in 2007 and 2008
» Henry was a standout jumper for the Wolverines from 1977-80.
» He helped the Wolverines win the 1980 outdoor, 1978 indoor and 1978 outdoor Big Ten Championships titles.
» He also won the 1980 outdoor Big Ten long jump title.
» To this day, Henry still ranks No. 4 on the all-time U-M long jump list indoors and No. 7 on the outdoor list.
________________________________
We have all the banners and records and championships, but when you see what the young women who have been a part of his program over the years have gone on to do beyond their athletic careers, that truly shows what a positive impact he's had here at Michigan.Kevin Sullivan, U-M Director of Track & Field and Cross Country