John Nathan Henderson (born January 9, 1979), nicknamed Big John or Big Hen, is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Tennessee. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and has played professionally for the Jaguars and Oakland Raiders.
[edit] Early years
Henderson was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville, where he played defensive tackle and tight end. His teams won back-to-back state championships during his junior and senior years. He was named All-State as a junior when he had 145 tackles and 15 sacks, along with 37 catches for 470 yards and 9 touchdowns. As a senior, he finished with 150 tackles and 2 sacks, to go with 45 catches for 560 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was also selected as a High School All-American by Parade magazine, USA Today, Blue Chip Illustrated, National Recruiting Advisor, and Super Prep. He was ranked as the 7th best high school player in The Sporting News Top 100 and was ranked 1st in the state of Tennessee by the Knoxville News Sentinel and the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Henderson also was named All-State in basketball.[1]
[edit] College career
Henderson attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and played for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1998 to 2001. At Tennessee, he lined up at left defensive tackle next to Albert Haynesworth. He played in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, 2000 Cotton Bowl Classic, and 2001 Citrus Bowl. As a sophomore, Henderson recorded 43 tackles and 4 sacks in 7 starts. As a junior, Henderson won the Outland Trophy as college football's top interior lineman and was a consensus first-team All-American in 2000, having been selected by the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, Football News, CNN/SI, and Rivals.com after recording 71 tackles (21 for loss) and 12 sacks. Henderson was again recognized as a consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 2001, after finishing with 48 tackles (9 for loss) and 4.5 sacks in 10 starts. He finished his college career with 165 tackles (130 solo and 39 for loss) and 20.5 sacks (5th in school history), 7 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles, and 5 fumble recoveries.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Jacksonville Jaguars
Henderson was the Jaguars 1st round pick (9th overall) in 2002. He finished his rookie season with 53 tackles (44 solo), 6.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble in 16 games (13 starts). In 2003, he had 56 tackles (45 solo and 13 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and 33 quarterback pressures in 16 starts. In 2004, he finished with 75 tackles (62 solo and 5 for loss), 5.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 1 fumble recovery, and 39 QB pressures in 16 starts and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. In 2005, Henderson had 70 tackles (52 solo and 4 for loss), 3 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and 20 QB pressures in 16 games (15 starts). He also started in the Jaguars' lone playoff game and recorded 5 tackles and 1 sack. On March 21, 2006, Henderson signed a new 6 year, $34 million contract extension with the Jaguars through 2011. The contract also contains $13.4 million guaranteed.[2] Henderson responded with 51 tackles (38 solo and 6 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, and 7 QB pressures, as well as his 2nd Pro Bowl selection. He was also named an AP 2nd Team All-Pro. He was filmed by the NFL Network getting pumped up for a game by having a team trainer slap him in the face.[3] In 2007, Henderson finished with 38 tackles (28 solo), 2 sacks, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 13 QB pressures in 15 starts, marking the first time in his career he did not play all 16 games. Henderson started both playoff games for the Jaguars, finishing with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. In March 2008, Henderson's good friend and fellow defensive tackle Marcus Stroud was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Henderson finished the 2008 season with 44 tackles (34 solo), 2 sacks, and 2 pass deflections in 14 games. In the 2009 offseason, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was critical of Henderson for pulling out of OTAs, claiming he was faking a shoulder injury to avoid having to participate. Although many believed Henderson would be released, he met privately with Del Rio and claimed that he had "bought in". Henderson finished the 2009 season with 36 tackles (26 solo), 3 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles.
Henderson was released by the Jaguars on April 26, 2010.[4]
[edit] Oakland Raiders
On June 11, 2010, Henderson signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders.[5] On February 24, 2011, he signed a 2 year, $8 million contract with the Raiders, keeping him through the 2012 season.
[edit] Personal
Henderson is married to Aleviar Henderson and has two sons (Ja'Mari and Ayden) and two daughters (Talia and Anaiya). On November 17, 2007, John and Aleviar Henderson opened a clothing store in Jacksonville called "4 Big Men by Big Hen" that sold big and tall clothing.[6] However, the store was later closed. He also owns an AAU basketball team in his hometown of Nashville. He has a younger brother, Nate Smith, who is currently committed to Carson-Newman College.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Henderson, John |
| Alternative names |
Henderson, John Nathan; Henderson, John N. |
| Short description |
All-American college football player, professional football player, defensive lineman |
| Date of birth |
January 9, 1979 |
| Place of birth |
Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Date of death |
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