Author’s note: Coach Billy Henderson died this week. He was 93. I wrote this about him 3 years ago. The Coach for the Ages now belongs to the Ages.
He’s 90 now and gets around a little slower. I do too. Afterall, it’s been almost 50 years since I played baseball for him. Even after all these years, I’m still afraid I might do or say something that might disappoint him. I didn’t want to get “the look” – the one you got when you missed a bunt or a cut-off man – that same look that would scald you like hot Southern grits. I much preferred getting “the smile” – the great smile he flashed when you got it right. We worked hard for that smile. I guess having both at your disposal is what makes good coaches great.
I dropped by Sunday to see my old ball coach and his wife, Ms. Doris, in Ruston Sunday. Ms. Doris is still the same soft-spoken Southern beauty I remembered her to be. Never a hair out of place and always, as retired sheriff Mike Stone described her that night, “A classy lady.”
The room at Temple Baptist was filled with old friends, sitting and laughing – enjoying the Southern staple of catfish, hushpuppies, and sweet tea. We relished those memories of past glory – of victories won on the field of dreams long before our bones began to creek and our muscles ache.
Displayed about were priceless photos of a younger Coach Henderson, his wife and his children, and all the teams he coached. I reconnected and shared memories with some of my teammates from the 1972 championship team: Corbet Best, Rodney Howard, Robert Mitcham, Doug Bagwell, Randy Huffman, and Stanley Crawford.
Like many of those who ever taught or coached, Coach Henderson legacy lies with his old players. Even at 90, he has a phenomenal memory and can tell you which of his players have passed on or where they live now, what they do for a living – proud to say who went on to start a business, become a teacher or a preacher and the last time they dropped by his house for a coke and a visit.
Somewhat reluctant to talk about his personal coaching achievements, he’ll sometime start a sentence with: “Now, I don’t want this to sound like I’m bragging…” He’d rather talk about Ronnie Barnett, the first baseman he coached at Dubach High School who was so lumbering when he ran that he nicknamed him “Lightning” or his pitcher, Glenn Hunt he called “Smiley” because he smiled all the time.
Not that Coach Henderson wouldn’t have good reason to brag if he wanted to. His winning percentage alone as a coach for the T.L. James Contractors was an astronomical .820. When a “Shreveport Times” reporter pointed that out to him, he said, “I’ve never put much stock in statistics and numbers. All they’re really good for is to build up your pride.”
The no-bragging rule doesn’t apply to his kids however. His pride shows when he speaks of his youngest daughter, Suzy. Or Nancy, his oldest, who passed all four parts of her CPA exam in the first sitting. Then there’s his youngest, little Kenny, once our Legion team’s batboy, who grew up to become the Executive Director of Brighton School in Baton Rouge.
I once heard someone say that Coach Billy Henderson had forgotten more about baseball than most coaches ever knew. That’s probably true. What he hasn’t forgotten is his players. And we won’t forget him.
Long after he’s gone, those life lessons we learned from him – so much bigger than baseball – how to face and overcome adversity, how to become men and winners, will live on in each of us. Happy Birthday, Coach!