Edinboro University Athletics

18th Year
Hiram ‘68
 
Jim Henson, a highly successful high school coach in Ohio for over twenty years, enters his 18th season on the Edinboro staff and 48th involved in coaching. He retired two years ago as a professor in the Mathematics Department at Edinboro.

After working on the defensive side of the ball as the strong safeties/outside linebackers coach for two years, Henson moved over to the offense and instructed the running backs for nine seasons. He previously worked with the running backs in 1999 and was in charge of the defensive linemen in '98. In 2011 he took over as the offensive line coach, working side-by-side with head coach Scott Browning. He returned to serve as the running backs in 2012.

Henson joined the Edinboro staff after serving as a mathematics teacher, football coach and athletic director at Grand Valley High School in Ohio for 22 years. He led the Mustangs to a 150-68-4 record, with five Grand River Conference championships, three East Suburban Conference titles, and three state playoff appearances.
 
In the 1990's, Henson's charges posted three undefeated campaigns and a 23-game regular season winning streak. He was named the Conference Coach of the Year eight times and County Coach of the Year three times, culminated by his selection as the Ohio Division V Coach of the Year in 1997 and the Division IV Coach of the Year in '92.
 
In 2007 he was a member of the first class inducted into the Ashtabula County Football Hall of Fame. His son was inducted in 2013. On June 19, 2015, Henson was one of six inductees as part of the 2015 Hall of Fame Class for the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association. As a member of the OHSFCA HOF, Henson will have his plaque put up at the Horseshoe at The Ohio State University.

Prior to beginning his stellar career at Grand Valley, Henson debuted as an assistant coach at Cardinal Middlefield (OH) High School, where he served for eight years.

Henson graduated from Hiram College in 1968 with a bachelor of arts degree in Mathematics, then completed work on his master of science degree in Education with a major in Mathematics from Youngstown State in 1972. He and his wife, Evelyn, reside in Edinboro. They are the parents of a son, Jim, who is the head football coach at Jefferson(Oh.) High School, and a daughter, Jennifer, along with five grandchildren.