Rob Henderson was a key defensive player on the 1983 undefeated, united team that was ranked ninth in the nation.
The perfect season featured a little bit of everything, including rivalry victories over Coast Guard and RPI and shutouts over UMass Lowell and Hamilton. He was part of a feared defensive unit that included Costa Evangelakos, John Bibinski, Mike Dagle, Kevin Conlon, and Bill Abbott and surrendered a total of just 56 points all season long.
“Rob was big, strong, and physical, and certainly one of the better linebackers in the division,” remembers head coach Bob Weiss.
He had his best season in 1984, when he was selected as an AP third team All-America. In that year, he led the team with 95 tackles, including 25 solo tackles. He had four games with 15 or more tackles, including 19-tackle days against Union and RPI. He was also third best on the team with five pass breakups.
“Our practices on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were full pads, and full contact to help us prepare for the upcoming opponent,” recalls teammate Ed Moffitt. “Having to run into Rob each day at practice “hurt” a lot. As a fullback on that team, I was always glad when Saturday came, because I didn’t have to block Rob, and I knew none of the linebackers we played against hit as hard as “Hendo.” Game days were easy compared to practicing against Rob.”
Rob grew up in Stockbridge, Mass., where he was a three-letter athlete at Monument Mountain Regional High School. He earned a BSME in Material Science from WPI and went straight to work for Norton Company/Saint Gobain. He had a great 35-year career with Norton in sales, earning the “Winners Circle” award for top achieving sales for 13 years. His many outside activities included coaching all sports for his kids and serving as an assistant Scoutmaster for his two Eagle Scouts.
He retired in 2019 and now resides in West Linn, Ore. He enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, and skiing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. He was married to Alison Carroll Henderson ’87 ME (deceased 2019) for 30 years, and has four grown children living all over the West Coast.
