Former Tennessee defensive tackle John Henderson is a Hall of Famer. That seemed pretty far fetched when he signed with the Vols in 1998. Surprisingly, the NCAA did something right with Henderson that turned him into one of the best players to ever don an orange jersey.
Henderson nearly had to go to junior college instead of enrolling at Tennessee. Fortunately, the NCAA had instituted a rule called “Prop 48” for high school prospects with academic shortcomings. The rule allowed players to practice for a season, show they could maintain a college course load and be eligible to play after one season if their grades were on point. That suited Henderson just fine. He just wanted to fulfil his lifelong dream of being a Vol.
Had Henderson been forced to enter junior college instead of being able to enroll at Tennessee, there’s a strong chance he would have never made it back to Knoxville. That’s no knock on Henderson. That’s just a fact. Having covered junior colleges all over the country, there is no comparison between those schools and Tennessee. There are some of you reading this that have a better in-home gym than junior colleges offer up to their athletes. As for academic support in junior college, that’s pretty hit or miss as well.
Such issues don’t happen anymore. Players rarely have trouble becoming academically eligible because high schools realize that athletes probably need a bit more help in the classroom than the average student. That’s not a criticism of those athletes nor their IQ. It’s just a matter of time. Don’t think for a second that football isn’t a 40-hour a week job. It has been for decades.
Tennessee and Henderson benefitted from former head coach Phillip Fulmer, former athletic director Doug Dickey and their relationship with the NCAA. The Vols got more breaks back then from the NCAA because they had been so compliant in previous investigations. If not for that, Henderson probably wouldn’t have been allowed to enroll at Tennessee and would have been forced to go to junior college, where great careers go to die.
Henderson was one of the most intriguing prospects to ever walk on campus because of two things: his size and his smile. Both were immediate attention grabbers.
I still recall Henderson walking onto the field in Neyland Stadium for the Vols’ annual media day in 1998. If Henderson was at all miffed about not being able to play in his first season, you certainly wouldn’t have noticed it. He was smiling ear-to-ear just to be a Vol. Fulmer was probably feeling just as happy about having a 6-foot-7, 270-pound athlete with explosion and power on his roster.
Tennessee has a history of bringing in elite junior college players that have made an impact on the Vols’ program. Former Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara is the most recent. Then, there’s former Vols like receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, defensive lineman Jesse Mahelona, defensive back Dale Carter and former linebacker/defensive end Leonard Little. However, for every successful junior college player, there are countless players that had their careers fall apart in junior college.
At the time, there was serious concern that Henderson could endure the rigors of junior college and ever make it to Tennessee. UT coaches were afraid they’d never get the elite prospect from Nashville back on campus if he went the junior college route. Fortunately for all parties involved, no one had to see if those concerns were valid.
It won’t be often that you read this, but kudos to the NCAA. Thanks to a rule that filled a void at the time, Henderson is a Hall Of Famer who spent ten seasons in the NFL. He’s also one of the most beloved former Tennessee players in history, partly due to that smile and soft-spoken nature that was a contradiction of his play, which created havoc for opposing teams.
It’s odd to think that all of that nearly didn’t happen. Chalk up one for the NCAA.
