Takedown Report

Stanley Henson: A champion in all aspects of life

Stanley Henson was a giant in amateur wrestling … and in life beyond the sport.  No, he wasn’t a bulky, towering heavyweight. Henson started wrestling in junior high at 75 pounds, and completed his collegiate career at 155, standing 5’10”. But his accomplishments on the mat — and long after he hung up the trunks — made him a larger-than-life figure of great achievements in his century of life.

Stanley Willard Henson, Jr., M.D. died Wednesday, Jan. 30, at age 101 in Colorado, where he had resided for more than 60 years.  Born on November 30 — Thanksgiving Day — in 1916 in Jackson, Mich., Henson became forever known as “Junior” to his family.  The youngster who excelled at yo-yo and kitemaking turned his sights on the oldest and greatest sport. Henson was a two-time Oklahoma high school state wrestling champ, who then became a three-time NCAA champ for Oklahoma State in the late 1930s, widely heralded as one of the greats of that era … and of all time.   But Henson’s life was much more than wrestling. He served his country with honor in World War II … was a renowned surgeon … an outdoorsman … a husband and a father. 

Stanley Henson, wrestler extraordinaire
Stanley Henson launched his legendary wrestling career during the Great Depression in Tulsa, Oklahoma.   “I started wrestling as a 75-pounder in junior high school,” Henson told wrestling journalist Jason Bryant in a Mat Talk Online Podcast interview conducted when the legendary Cowboy was 98 years old. “I took a year off wrestling. Went out for tumbling. Wasn’t good at that.”  Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/19665?fbclid=IwAR0OdTwCQlkL92qkYctgwBFUhyRtZYxTj7HHKvifcCatxlGOtnnJTKPYUKw

December 1, 2018 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized