American baseball and football player (born 1980)
Baseball player
Drew Daniel Henson
(born February 13, 1980) is an American former
Major League Baseball
(MLB)
third baseman
and
National Football League
(NFL)
quarterback
. He was selected by the
Houston Texans
in the sixth round of the
2003 NFL draft
. He played
college football
for the
Michigan Wolverines
.
During his football career, Henson was a member of the
Dallas Cowboys
,
Minnesota Vikings
, and
Detroit Lions
. At the start of his baseball career, he was drafted by the
New York Yankees
in the third round of the
1998 amateur draft
and played for the organization during the 2002 and 2003 seasons until he retired from the sport in 2004. As of
2015
, Henson is active in
organized baseball
as a member of the Yankees'
professional scouting staff
.
[1]
Early years
[
edit
]
Drew Henson is the son of Carol (Flynn) Henson and Dan Henson, a former college football coach at
San Jose State
,
Utah
,
Arizona State
, and
Eastern Michigan
.
Henson attended
Brighton High School
in
Brighton, Michigan
, where he starred and received All-state honors in football, basketball, and baseball.
In football, he completed 400 passes for 5,662 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons. As a
sophomore
defensive back
, he added 47 tackles and five
interceptions
, and was also an excellent
punter
. As a senior, he was named Parade All-American at quarterback and USA Today All-American at punter.
He finished second all-time in Michigan high school annals in passing yards (5,662) and touchdown passes (52). He also had the state's record in touchdowns passes for a single-season (26 in 1997) and a single-game (6). He averaged 45.7 yards-per-punt in his career.
In baseball, he was a four-time All-state selection. He finished as the national high school record holder in career home runs (70), RBIs (290) and runs scored (259). As a pitcher, he struck out 163 hitters in his junior season. He had a 14?1 record with a 0.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in his senior season. He also was named the
USA Today
High School Player of the Year, Baseball America High School Player of the Year and the
Gatorade
High School Player of the Year.
College career
[
edit
]
Henson, during the recruiting process, was originally planning to commit to
Florida State University
, but decided against it when
Chris Weinke
decided to enroll at FSU after a brief stint in
Minor League Baseball
.
Henson instead accepted a football scholarship from the
University of Michigan
. As a freshman under head coach
Lloyd Carr
, Henson battled for the starting quarterback job against
Tom Brady
and ultimately was named the backup for the
1998 season
. He saw action in 8 games, accumulating 21 completions on 47 pass attempts, good for 254 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
[2]
He saw action in seven of Michigan's 13 games, including a win over #11
Arkansas
in the
Citrus Bowl
.
In
1999
, Brady had to once again hold off Henson for the starting job. The two players platooned during the season's first seven games, with Brady playing the first quarter, Henson the second and Carr then deciding upon a quarterback for the second half. The team started off with a 5?0 record. Against
Michigan State
, Henson in the second quarter connected with
Marcus Knight
for the third longest passing play in school history (an 81-yard touchdown completion); so he was chosen to play in the second half; however, Brady was reinserted into the game in the fourth quarter with Michigan down by 17 points, and nearly led the team all the way back before losing 34?31.
[3]
After a 300-yard passing game the following week, Carr went exclusively with Brady for the remainder of the season. Henson still saw his number of pass attempts nearly double, throwing 90 times and completing 47 passes. He recorded 546 passing yards, along with three touchdowns and two interceptions in nine appearances.
[2]
Henson again saw limited action when Michigan took on another bowl opponent with a higher ranking, #5
Alabama
, in the
Orange Bowl
, and came out victorious with a 35?34 OT victory.
In
2000
, Brady graduated and Henson, now a junior, served as the Wolverines' starting quarterback for most of the season. He missed the first 3 contests after having surgery on his right foot just prior to the start of the season on August 24, with redshirt freshman
John Navarre
replacing him.
[4]
Henson threw for a career-high 312 yards in a road loss to #21
Northwestern
, 54?51, and also tied a school record with four passing touchdowns. In the regular season finale, Henson led the #19 Wolverines to
Columbus
to take on #12
Ohio State
and threw again for over 300 yards en route to a 38?26 win.
For the third time in his career, Michigan and Henson faced a
Southeastern Conference
team when Michigan went on to play
Auburn
in the
Citrus Bowl
and for the third time, Michigan again emerged victorious, winning 31?28. Henson recorded 294 yards passing on just 15 completions to go with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Henson played in 9 out of 12 games, posting 146 completions in 237 attempts for 2,146 yards, along with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.
[2]
His 159.4 passer rating was the fifth best in Michigan history and his 18 touchdown passes were the fourth most in a single-season in school history. He guided the team to a 9?3 record, a share of the Big Ten Conference title and a No. 11 ranking in the final
Associated Press Poll
.
Henson left prior to his senior season after signing a six-year, $17 million baseball-only deal with the
New York Yankees
on March 25,
2001
. Navarre would replace him as the starting quarterback.
Records
[
edit
]
- University of Michigan School Record ? Most touchdowns (passing) in a game: 4 (T?2) (2000, vs.
Northwestern
).
[5]
College career
[
edit
]
Season
|
Team
|
GP
|
Passing
|
Cmp
|
Att
|
Pct
|
Yds
|
TD
|
Int
|
Rtg
|
1998
|
Michigan
|
7
|
19
|
45
|
42.2
|
233
|
3
|
1
|
103.3
|
1999
|
Michigan
|
9
|
46
|
89
|
51.7
|
546
|
3
|
2
|
109.8
|
2000
|
Michigan
|
8
|
131
|
217
|
60.4
|
1,852
|
16
|
4
|
152.7
|
Totals
[6]
|
24
|
196
|
351
|
55.8
|
2,631
|
22
|
7
|
135.5
|
Baseball career
[
edit
]
Henson was selected in the third round with the 97th overall selection in the
1998 Major League Baseball Draft
. He signed a six-year, $17 million contract to forgo the NFL and play exclusively for the Yankees.
[7]
He began his minor league playing career with the
Gulf Coast Yankees
in
1998
, where he hit .316 (12-for-38) in 10 games.
In
1999
, he was promoted to the
Tampa Yankees
, the Single-A affiliate of the
New York Yankees
. In his first year of playing, he batted .280 with 13
home runs
and 37 RBIs in 69 games.
He began
2000
with Tampa, and after hitting .333, he was promoted to the AA
Norwich Navigators
and hit seven home runs before he was traded to the
Cincinnati Reds
with fellow prospects
Jackson Melian
and
Ed Yarnall
for
Denny Neagle
. He finished the summer with the Reds' AA affiliate in Chattanooga, hitting .172 (11-for-64) with one home run and 9 RBIs in 16 games, before returning to football practice at Michigan.
In
2001
, he was traded back to the Yankees with
Michael Coleman
for
Wily Mo Pena
. However, he struggled at the AAA level
Columbus Clippers
. He hit .234 over three seasons as the Clippers starting third baseman. Frustrated by his lack of progress and in need of a third baseman at the major league level, the Yankees acquired
Aaron Boone
at the 2003 trading deadline.
[8]
Boone eventually hit a pennant-clinching home run against the
Boston Red Sox
in the 2003 postseason, but then injured his knee in a pickup basketball game during the offseason. The injury would keep him out for the entire 2004 season.
[9]
Henson played a total of eight games in the majors. He received a token call up with the Yankees in
2002
and played in three games. He struck out in his only at-bat. In
2003
, he played in five games, going one for eight and scoring two runs. He ended his brief major league career with only one hit in nine at-bats (a .111 average) before announcing his retirement the same year.
[10]
After not being considered by the Yankees to replace Boone at third base and with an opportunity looming in the NFL, Henson announced that he was leaving the Yankees in February
2004
.
[11]
He was released from his contracts after being unable to negotiate on the buyout of the $12 million still left on his original contract, forcing him to forgo all of it.
[12]
[13]
Pre-draft measurables
Height
|
Weight
|
6 ft
4
+
3
⁄
8
in
(1.94 m)
|
223 lb
(101 kg)
|
All values from Pro Day
[14]
|
Dallas Cowboys
[
edit
]
The
Houston Texans
selected Henson in the sixth round (192nd overall) of the
2003 NFL Draft
, to own his rights in case he decided to return to the
NFL
.
[15]
[16]
He would never play for the team.
After retiring from baseball, he returned to football for the
2004 NFL season
. On March 19, he was acquired by the
Dallas Cowboys
after they traded their third round pick (#73-
Vernand Morency
) in the
2005 NFL Draft
to the Texans.
[17]
It was later reported that owner/
general manager
Jerry Jones
influenced the organization into making the transaction, becoming part of a string of young quarterback acquisitions that were also former baseball players (
Quincy Carter
and
Chad Hutchinson
).
After the surprising release of starter Carter on August 4, Henson began the first 6 games of the season as the third-string quarterback behind
Tony Romo
. He was promoted to the backup position behind veteran
Vinny Testaverde
in the seventh game against the
Detroit Lions
. In the tenth game against the
Baltimore Ravens
, he replaced an injured Testaverde in the fourth quarter, completing all of his 6 passes for 47 yards and one
touchdown
. On
Thanksgiving Day
, Testaverde had previously missed practice and was limited with a sore right shoulder, so Henson was given the chance to start his first
NFL
game against the
Chicago Bears
, making 4 out of 12 completions for 31 yards, driving the offense for a
touchdown
on the Cowboys' first possession, but also had one interception that was returned 45 yards for a
touchdown
in the second quarter. With the score tied at 7, head coach
Bill Parcells
opted to insert Testaverde in the third quarter and the team went on to win the contest 21?7. Henson returned to third-string in the fifteenth game against the
Philadelphia Eagles
, finishing the season with 10 out of 18 completions for 78 yards, one
touchdown
and one interception.
In
2005
, Henson had a poor training camp showing and landed third on the depth chart behind
Drew Bledsoe
and
Tony Romo
. He was declared inactive for all 16 games and at the end of the season, Parcells announced that Henson would be allocated to
NFL Europe
league to work on his skills.
In
2006
, he was assigned to the
Rhein Fire
of
NFL Europe
, where he was named the starter at quarterback. Although he missed week 7 with a knee injury, he was the league's second-rated signal caller (84.2 rating) behind
Gibran Hamdan
, while finishing the season second in attempts (203), completions (109), passing yards (1,321), passing touchdowns (10) and second fewest interceptions (3). He led the team to a third-place finish behind the
Frankfurt Galaxy
and the
Amsterdam Admirals
. He returned to the Cowboys but was waived on August 24, after Parcells decided to keep Bledsoe and Romo as the only two quarterbacks on the roster.
[18]
Minnesota Vikings
[
edit
]
On September 27,
2006
, Henson was signed to the
practice squad
of the
Minnesota Vikings
.
[19]
He was released on October 10.
[20]
He was re-signed on December 6.
[21]
On March 15,
2007
, he was signed to a one-year contract, however, he was cut from the team during training camp on August 27.
[22]
[23]
Detroit Lions
[
edit
]
On August 22,
2008
, Henson was signed by the
Detroit Lions
as a
free agent
.
[24]
He was waived during final cuts on August 30, but was re-signed to the team's
practice squad
a day later.
Henson was promoted to the active roster on October 12 when
quarterback
Jon Kitna
was declared out for the team's Week 5 contest with an injury. The team released
fullback
Moran Norris
to make room for Henson on the active roster.
Shortly after the signing of quarterback
Daunte Culpepper
, Henson was waived by the Lions on November 12 when the team claimed
wide receiver
Adam Jennings
off waivers from the
Atlanta Falcons
.
[25]
Henson was re-signed to the team's practice squad two days later.
[26]
On November 24, Henson was signed to a two-year contract off the practice squad to become the backup on the depth chart behind Culpepper. After relieving Culpepper in the 4th quarter of the 2008 Lions' Thanksgiving Day game, Henson was 1-for-2 passing, and fumbled on back-to-back plays. Culpepper also came out of a subsequent game for the final play of the fourth quarter where Henson stepped in and was sacked.
On April 28,
2009
, he was released after the Lions selected quarterback
Matthew Stafford
as the first overall pick in the
2009 NFL draft
.
[27]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Henson's father was a former
offensive coordinator
at
Eastern Michigan University
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Scott Miller (June 8, 2015).
"Once Ticketed for 2-Sport Superstardom, Drew Henson Travels New Big League Path"
.
Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
September 4,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Drew Henson"
. MGoBlue.com. Archived from
the original
on March 10, 2012
. Retrieved
December 8,
2010
.
- ^
"U-M Win Streak Comes to End at Michigan State, 34-31 - University of Michigan"
.
University of Michigan Athletics
. Retrieved
December 28,
2018
.
- ^
"Henson has foot surgery, will miss season opener"
. August 24, 2000
. Retrieved
December 7,
2018
.
- ^
"No. 23 Northwestern 54, No. 12 Michigan 51"
. ESPN
. Retrieved
December 26,
2018
.
- ^
"Drew Henson College Stats"
.
College Football at Sports-Reference.com
. Retrieved
June 21,
2024
.
- ^
"How he Drew it up"
. June 5, 2013
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Boone deal hasn't changed Henson's mind"
. August 2003
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Hurt playing hoops, Boone might miss season"
. January 26, 2004
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Henson cut by Lions"
. April 28, 2009
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Henson ready to start career in NFL"
. February 2004
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Former quarterback discussing NFL options"
. September 2003
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Yankees release IF Henson"
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
- ^
"2003 Draft Scout Drew Henson, Michigan NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile"
.
draftscout.com
. Retrieved
July 9,
2022
.
- ^
Pasquarelli, Len (April 27, 2003).
"Texans draft former Michigan QB"
.
ESPN
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
"2003 NFL Draft Listing"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
March 27,
2023
.
- ^
Pasquarelli, Len (February 2, 2004).
"Henson property of Texans ? but available"
.
ESPN
.
Archived
from the original on November 4, 2012
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
"Parcells: QB Henson won't be with Cowboys in '06"
.
ESPN
. August 23, 2006
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
"Henson back in NFL, joins Vikes' practice squad"
. September 27, 2006
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Vikings sign WR Bethel Johnson, drop Drew Henson"
. October 10, 2006
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Sources: Johnson to get start for Vikings"
. December 6, 2006
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Vikings agree with Henson, will meet with Scott"
. ESPN. March 15, 2007.
Archived
from the original on October 15, 2012
. Retrieved
March 15,
2008
.
- ^
"Eagles trade QB Holcomb to Vikings for 6th-round draft pick"
. August 27, 2007
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Black and Blue all over: Concerns about KGB"
. August 27, 2008
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Lions release QB, ex-Michigan football star Henson"
. November 13, 2008
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Henson returns to the Lions' practice squad roster"
. ESPN. November 14, 2008
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
"Henson cut by Lions"
. April 28, 2009
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
External links
[
edit
]