(Atlantic) Seven state titles and 22 girls track conference championships are on the résumé of this week’s “Why I Coach” guest. It’s retired Atlantic cross country and girls track coach Bruce Henderson.
The hardware catches the eye, but those weren’t the only reasons Henderson was involved. In fact, he’s still at it today as a junior high volunteer. He remembers exactly what he told the Omaha World Herald when he won their Coach of the Year honor. “What I said here in ’95 and I was actually somewhat prophetic which is a total surprise to everyone in my family. I said the reason I probably stay in coaching for a long time is not because of the big things. I like practice and I like being around kids.” Henderson says, “Since I’m going to a cross country meet and helping out with junior high cross country that seems to be a little bit true.”
Girls track wasn’t ‘Plan A’ for Henderson, but it all worked out for the best. “When I got out of school I thought I wanted to be a football and boys track coach. The first year in ’71 I coached three junior high boys sports. Then I went to the service and when I came back they were starting girls sports. John Hunter and Rollin Dyer had the idea they’d just dump Henderson with those. They asked about basketball and I said no. They asked about track and I said I wanted to do boys.” Dyer said, “If you coach girls track and do really well for a few years then when Bob Younger retires you can take over.” Henderson recalls Younger retired about seven years later. “By that time we had gotten really good in girls track and it was going well so I forgot about football.”
He recalls it taking approximately 8-10 years before everything really clicked as a coach. “I knew a lot about track. I’d been in track in college and had done a decathlon so I knew a lot about the events. I thought I would be a great coach because I knew more about baton passing and high jump and shot put. Those things are important, but basically you’ve got to learn how to organize, discipline, and motivate kids. So that took several years.”
Henderson refers to himself along with assistants Don Jenkins and Barb Olsen as the perfect mix. “All three were great coaches and all three were different. All three had different strengths, we were all knowledgeable and on the same page and I always felt if a girl had problems some of them would come to Barb and some Me and Don was their basketball coach. We kind of had the bases cover. Barb was in physical education, I was in the middle school, and Don was in the high school. My thoughts are it was kind of a dream team.”
The UNI grad is a native of Mount Ayr. He explains it took a little bit of luck and maybe an oversight to land a job in Atlantic. “Some of you may remember the draft lottery. My senior year in college they drew the names out of a hat.” Henderson remembers most schools he had interviewed with asking him about his draft status and after he told them #20 they would respond, “We’ll see ya. We’ll let you know if you got the job.” But in Atlantic the Superintendent Armon Schuler didn’t check on that….”Schuler forgot to ask! He forgot to ask what my lottery number was and I met my dad’s friend Rollin Dyer on the way out. I was interviewed on Thursday and they said they’d get back to me on Monday. After Dyer found out who my dad was, when I got back to Cedar Falls they had called and I needed a job so I didn’t hesitate.”
It’s no surprise Henderson developed a love for track. His dad was on the track team at Iowa State and helped coach at Mount Ayr. Thus, coach Henderson grew up with a high jump bar and pole vault pit in the yard and attended his first Drake Relays at age 4.
Previous Coaches
(Click to listen)
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Dick Strittmatter, Atlantic native
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Jason Mehrhoff, Anita Native (Carlisle)
Eric Hjelle, Elk Horn-Kimballton grad (Underwood)
Brett Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum (Waukee Northwest)
Warren Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Scott Yates, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Marc Bierbaum, Griswold grad and Iowa Western track/cross country assistant
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Curt Schulte, Harlan graduate (Glenwood)
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
