Maynard "Chick" Henderson (2004) - Hall of Fame

Maynard "Chick" Henderson

Induction:
2004

Dr. Jitu D. Kothari Meritorious Service Award

Maynard "Chick" Henderson wasn't a coach or a recognizable collegiate athlete, although he played baseball for former Iowa State Teacher's College under coach "Mon" Whitford and was an all-state selection in basketball and baseball at LuVerne (Iowa) High School in the 1940s. He served as class president and graduated from LuVerne in 1946. After attending Morningside College one year, he transferred to ISTC. And that's where his career as a renowned official took form after then basketball coach Hon Nordly asked him to officiate some of his team's scrimmages. The rest is history.

Henderson went on to officiate more than 3,000 high school and collegiate basketball and football games over a 37-year period at the Division I, II and III levels, in addition to Iowa Conference junior college contests. He worked Panther games during Stan Sheriff's tenure, including all of UNI's freshman games, one versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He officiated the 1968 East-West High Schools football game when both teams were undefeated.

He worked 21 consecutive boys state basketball tournaments, 13 championship games for large schools and three girls state basketball tournaments, the first of which was played at the Hippodrome in Waterloo.

Despite the abuse officials take from fans, players and coaches, he probably still would be wearing a whistle around his neck but a knee injury caused by the profession forced him into retirement in November of 1983. Henderson was so respected in the field that he was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1981 and into the Iowa Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994.

Henderson is a lifetime member of the University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association, a member of the UNI Athletic Club, has been an Elks Club member for over 40 years, has served on the Sartori Hospital Advisory Board, was a long-time member of the Waterloo Sports of Sorts Club, and was a member of the Iowa Golf Superintendents Association and the Golf Superintendents Association of America.