Stanley Henson"He was a remarkable man," Josh Henson wrote on Facebook Thursday. "At the time of his passing, Stanley Henson was the oldest living NCAA Champion in any sport and is considered by many the greatest American wrestler of all time. He beat every opponent he every wrestled and never had an offensive point scored on in three years of college competition, each of which ended with his being crowned NCAA national champion. He was also the first sophomore ever to win the outstanding wrestler (MVP award), which till then had only been won by seniors."
Stanley Henson had the honor of wrestling for two all-time great coaches. At Tulsa Central High School, Henson competed for Art Griffith, winning two Oklahoma state wrestling titles, and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at states as a senior. He then headed west to Stillwater to what was then called Oklahoma A&M, wrestling for another legend, Ed Gallagher. Henson won the 145-pound crown at the 1937 and 1938 NCAAs, then the title at 155 in 1939. He was also prominently featured in a 1939 Life magazine photo-essay on the Oklahoma State wrestling team.
Charlie Mayser, legendary coach at Iowa State in the 1930s, said, "(Henson) is positively the greatest wrestler to come along in generations and I've seen some of the best." The Cyclone coach later said, "That Henson -- he's just not human!"
Contemporary wrestling historian Mike Chapman said this of Henson: "All the old-timers I talk to consider him -- without exception -- one of the top four or five wrestlers of all time." (Amateur Wrestling News named Henson as the best U.S. amateur wrestler of the 1930s.)
After five years as a physical instructor and wrestling assistant at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Henson attended medical school at University of Maryland and trained at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for four years before moving to Fort Collins, Colo. to work as a surgeon, becoming the first doctor to perform open-heart surgery at the local hospital. In addition, Henson was a pioneer in the field of sports medicine, as one of the first to combine his athletic and medical interests in that field, and, in fact, became a nationally known lecturer and consultant.
Henson was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1978, and just last year, was presented with the Gallagher Award, presented each year to an Oklahoma State alumnus who exemplifies the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced as of Thursday afternoon.
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