I never knew Phil Henson, but he was on our list of subscribers of this blog. We were recommended to him by best friend, Bill Schnier, U. of Cincinnati Track Coach. One of the highlights of Phil's career was serving as meet manager for Track and Field at the Atlanta Olympics.
Bill wrote these words about his friend.
I just heard about the passing of Phil Henson but I don't know any details. Not only was Phil an extremely knowledgeable coach of T&F, especially the field events, but he was also a very good friend whose career in our sport mirrored mine in many respects. He preceded me as Sam Bell's grad assistant at IU and paved the way for me to eventually take his place when he became an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. When I left IU to take the head coaching job at the University of Cincinnati, Phil returned to IU to teach biomechanics and human performance, at the same time volunteering as an assistant to Sam Bell. He often told the correct story how we traded off living in the same apartment building at 571 Evermann Apts. at IU for 11 years; Phil and Jane for 5 years, then Kathy and me for 4 years, then Phil and Jane again for 2 more years. We were at the same university, had the same graduate school major, had the same job, and even lived in the same apartment. Following the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Kathy and I continued our honeymoon by going back to Central Connecticut University to stay with Phil and Jane for two days. Over the years we did many things together in large part due to our parallel lives. Jane died of cancer about 6 years ago and the last time I saw Phil was on a trip we took a few years ago to the Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass, WV. Phil loved trains and tractors, owning two tractors which he stored at his home in Bloomington.
Phil was a wizard in his knowledge of field events. In addition he was equally skilled at organization, serving as the meet manager for T&F at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His career path leaned more toward teaching whereas mine was in coaching, yet we still had so much in common. When the Big East T&F meet was held in Cincinnati, he served as the head referee. He was so well regarded that there were no protests during those three days in a conference which was extremely contentious. He made things go smoothly.
For the past 15 years or so Phil suffered from MS, causing an increasingly pronounced limp which I suspect was the eventual cause of his death. Nevertheless, he still lived a normal life, soldiering on in the best way possible. He was an extremely loyal person, serving Sam and Fran Bell, along with Brian and Brenda Lewis, as Sam and Fran aged.
As we age we lose more and more people with whom we share so many experiences of long duration. Two days ago I was informed of the death of Darrell Dailey, a person with whom I played every sport in grade school and high school for thousands of hours. Let's all remember our long-time friends and value what they have given us over the years.
The following came from the IU Sports Information Desk
Bloomington, Ind. – Former IU Track and Field Assistant Coach Phil Henson died on Saturday in Bloomington. He was 74 years old. Henson was a long-time assistant coach for the Hoosier program, working alongside legendary head coach Sam Bell from 1980-94. Henson played an integral role on Bell's staff during one of the Hoosier track and field program's most successful periods. He worked closely with numerous Hoosier NCAA champions, All-Americans and Olympians, including DeDee Nathan, Dave Volz and Alan Turner.
In addition to his work with IU Track and Field, he also served the sport in a variety of capacities both nationally and internationally. The highlight of his involvement on the international scene came in 1996, when he served as Director of Competition for Track and Field at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
In addition to those roles, Henson was also a valued member of the Indiana University faculty. Henson, who earned both his Master's and Ph.D. from Indiana University, joined the IU Department of Kinesiology faculty in 1980, serving in a part-time capacity until his retirement from coaching. Upon the completion of his 1996 Olympic responsibilities, he became a full-time assistant professor until his retirement in 2013.
"Phil wore many hats at IU, all the way from full-time coach to professor, and most recently as a volunteer coach working with Coach Jake Wiseman and his multi-athletes," said IU Track and Field Coach Ron Helmer. "Phil's knowledge of track and field was boundless, making him a highly sought after meet referee and official, including his work at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Beyond that, Phil was just a good man who truly loved what he did. The track and field community lost a good one."
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