A Life In Soccer: The Jim Henderson Story
Source/Author: Rowdies Soccer
August 15, 2014
Editor's Note:
Shorecrest is the official school sponsor of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Faculty, staff and students may buy Rowdies tickets for just $10 each! Visit rowdiessoccer.com and enter promo code SPS2014 to buy yours.
August 14, 2014
http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news/detail/uuid/5i6t5cmf34al1j50zz5kv6si2/a-life-in-soccer-the-jim-henderson-story#.U-5n67xdWo0
Shorecrest is the official school sponsor of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Faculty, staff and students may buy Rowdies tickets for just $10 each! Visit rowdiessoccer.com and enter promo code SPS2014 to buy yours.
August 14, 2014
http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news/detail/uuid/5i6t5cmf34al1j50zz5kv6si2/a-life-in-soccer-the-jim-henderson-story#.U-5n67xdWo0
By mere happenstance, Jim Henderson’s life veered into the world of soccer in 1975.
Henderson, a young sports writer at the Tampa Tribune, didn’t know much about the game in 1975 but no one else at the Tribune did either. This led him to step up and volunteer to cover the new professional soccer team in town, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Now, 39 years later, Henderson never really left soccer and is still actively engaged in the Rowdies family, serving as the club’s play-by-play analyst for TV broadcasts on Great 38, as well as hosting the Rowdies Kickoff pregame show on the same network.
“I covered the team from day one,” Henderson said. “Nobody else wanted to cover the team because nobody knew about soccer, including me. I volunteered to do it, thinking, ‘Who knows? Maybe it’ll look good on a resume one day.’ The first game I covered was the Rowdies’ inaugural game in 1975 at the old Tampa Stadium. It was actually the first soccer game I had even seen from start to finish.”
What followed was a wild and unpredictable life in soccer.
After covering the Rowdies for a few years, Henderson served as the Vice President of Public Relations (PR) for Team America, the United States Men’s National Team training as a North American Soccer League team. Henderson covered current Rowdies General Manager Perry Van Der Beck as a player during his time with the club and then worked closely with him while Van Der Beck played for Team America in 1983.
After his time with Team America, Henderson joined the NASL’s PR Department but it wouldn’t be long until he made his next career jump. He moved to the United States Soccer Federation in 1984, where he served as the administrator for U.S. national teams.
“I set up trips for the teams when they were going on the road and I was also in charge of PR on the away trips,” Henderson said. “It was an interesting and fun experience, but unfortunately, it was the last time we didn’t qualify for the World Cup.”
After moving back to Tampa Bay in 1991, Henderson landed a part-time PR role with the Rowdies. It was there that he first met Ricky Hill.
“Ricky was a good player for the team,” Henderson said. “You could see that he had that leadership in him that we see now as an amazing coach. You could tell he would have a career in the game after he finished playing.”
The FIFA World Cup 1994 brought Henderson a new role as venue press officer at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The Citrus Bowl hosted five matches in 15 fifteen days, but Henderson was on-site for nine months of preparation.
“It was an experience that I will never forget,” Henderson said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever worked harder for 15 days. It was a phenomenal experience. I had 200 volunteers working for me and it was just a massive undertaking. I ended up seeing myself on Chinese television dubbed into Chinese.”
That World Cup also brought the conception of Major League Soccer, and when the Tampa Bay Mutiny took the field in 1996, Henderson joined their PR Department. It was there that he started to hone his broadcasting skills. He had started broadcasting while with Team America, serving as the color analyst during the team’s away matches. While with the Mutiny, he had spells on both TV and radio broadcasts.
“My favorite part is being able to be there and tell the story as I see it,” Henderson said. “I’ve been mostly on radio and I always loved the idea of being able to paint the picture. With TV, you have to supplement the picture because people can see what’s going on, but I still like to be the storyteller in a way.”
When the Mutiny was contracted after the 2001 season, Henderson entered life outside of soccer, though the sport was never too far away. This will be his 14th year as an English and Journalism teacher at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg. While teaching, Henderson coached several years of junior varsity soccer, in addition to calling University of South Florida soccer matches. He also flew to select Columbus Crew matches to call them on the radio broadcast.
In 2009, when the Rowdies announced they were bringing professional soccer back to the Bay Area, Henderson knew he wanted to get involved.
“I missed sports in general and I missed soccer,” Henderson said. “I was hoping when the Rowdies decided to come back that I could somehow find a way to get involved at some level. I knew it wouldn’t be full-time, but I wanted to be involved because soccer had become a major part of my life.”
Henderson couldn’t be happier watching the team suit up in green and gold and hearing the “Kick in the Grass” song just like the old days.
“It brings back amazing memories for me,” he said. “Every time I hear the song, I think back to 1975 and what the team meant to the community. Just to be part of this organization calling games and being there is priceless for me.”
Henderson considers watching the Rowdies win the NASL Soccer Bowl in 2012 and being able to call the match as one of his career highlights. The Rowdies play-by-play commentator believes the Rowdies have unlimited potential for future growth.
“Winning the championship in 2012, to be able to call that game, was unbelievable,” he said. “It was absolutely fantastic and I hope to get another shot at it this year. I think under Bill Edwards’ ownership, it’ll all take off like the old days. With a guy like him, the team is in great shape.”
