Ottawa Hall of Fame tennis coach Tom Henderson a legend in sport, community

Every once in a while, you hear someone talk about a player or coach being on the Mount Rushmore of his or her specific sport – meaning they are deemed the best of the best.

It would be quite a debate in the history of Ottawa High School athletics to narrow down the top coaches who have led the Pirates or Lady Pirates over the years, but you would be hard-pressed to leave Tom Henderson, who died January 24, 2021, in Goodyear, Ariz., at the age of 90, off that exclusive list.

“I really think he did that for all the kids he coached and taught. I think he was able to bring the best out of people and convince them that a possibility could be the reality. He was all about whatever you’re dreaming, always make it bigger than you think it can be.”

—  Tom Henderson Jr.

Henderson was a highly respected and accomplished tennis coach. His boys and girls teams compiled an amazing 740-113 record, helping OHS dominate the North Central Illinois Conference for 47 years. His teams won 47 district and sectional championships and earned 17 finishes in the Top 8 of the state, including the boys squad earning a third-place mark in 1971.

During one streak, the Lady Pirates had a streak of 116 straight NCIC wins.

“I have so many great stories about my dad, it’s kind of like which one or ones do I pick, but the one that comes to mind is about a player that I always lost to,” said his son, Tom Henderson Jr., his father also a tremendous history teacher.

“I was losing to this guy in our first matches against each other like 6-0, 6-1 – he was the best player in the Northern Illinois Association. We would practice, and dad would design drills just for beating this guy, that was the goal. I was 14 years old, it was the last meet of the season, and I’m up on him 6-0, 3-0, 40-love, and it looked like I had it in the bag. But I lost. It was obviously very demoralizing, but we kept going. I’m not sure I knew I could ever beat him, but my dad did.

“We meet again the next season, and again I was up a set and leading 5-0 in the second but then dropped the next game. I remember all of those thoughts of, ‘Oh boy. Here we go again,’ started bouncing around in my head, but I closed things out.

“My dad taught me determination and setting goals were important. He was always pushing me not only as a player, but as a person, because he knew I had it in me to be better than even I thought I could be. I really think he did that for all the kids he coached and taught. I think he was able to bring the best out of people and convince them that a possibility could be the reality.

“He was all about whatever you’re dreaming, always make it bigger than you think it can be.”

The future Coach Henderson was a star athlete and tennis player, graduating from Bloomington High School in 1948 and Illinois State University in 1952. He was recognized as the Illinois High School Tennis Coach of the Year in 1971 and 2000. He was inducted into the IHSA Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in 1987 and was awarded the rare Lifetime Achievement Award by the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association [one of only three coaches to receive the honor] in 2018. He is also a member of the ISU and Ottawa halls of fame – his 1969-70 boys tennis team also in the OHS Hall.

“We would talk every Saturday to chat about sports and things going on in Ottawa,” said Jim Harris, a former OHS assistant boys basketball coach. “Tom was a great tennis coach and teacher. Both of my sons played for him, and I’ve had grandsons and granddaughters play for him. He was also the assistant boys basketball coach under Gary Vancil, and I did the same prior for Dean Riley. Tom also coached swimming for a time.”

During the summers, Henderson, who began his coaching and teaching career for one year at Streator High School, also won over 100 trophies in United States Tennis Association events throughout the Midwest.

“I remember the years when he ran the USTA-sanctioned Ottawa Open here in the summers, and he would play in the men’s singles, doubles, and 35-and-over singles all in the same weekend and win all three,” said Harris. “He was a tremendous tennis player for a very, very long time, and just as good a tennis coach.

“There is a plaque down by the tennis courts at the high school that lists all of the titles the tennis teams won when he was coaching. It’s a pretty impressive list.”

Jim’s son, Don Harris, teamed up with fellow senior Brad Riley to finish second at the state tournament in the 1970-71 school year, with both players continuing their careers at Bradley University.

“I remember before my junior year, he had us all get together for a meeting,” said Don. “He told us he’d already had teams before go undefeated, win the [NCIC] conference, win districts and finish in the top five in the state, but he’d never had a team accomplish all four in the same season. He thought we could do it, and that was our goal.”

The biggest obstacle was that Ottawa had to host Hinsdale Central in a dual, a team that had finished either first or second at state the previous four seasons.

“I ended up losing my match, a close match, to a very good player that was nationally ranked,” said Don. “I remember walking off the court, seeing my teammates still playing their matches, and feeling crushed, feeling like I had let everyone down.

“Coach Henderson stopped me before I even got off the court and I was expecting, I guess a little bit, to be getting chewed out. Instead, he said, ‘I didn’t know you could play at that high level.’ It was reassuring that even though I had lost, he recognized the effort I had given and was proud of me.”

The Pirates did end up defeating the visitors that day, and went on to accomplish all four goals that season.

“Coach Henderson was able to look at what you could accomplish, even if you didn’t think you could yourself,” said Don. “He then was able to push you towards being that person or player he knew you could be.

“He instilled confidence and really refused to let you fall short of being the best you could be.”