HAMPTON, Va. — The emotions flowed for Anthony Henderson and his family as he was officially introduced as Hampton University's new athletic director on Thursday from the Convocation Center. "I really don't have words for it".
And with good reason. He's a Pirate alum, who was a part of the football team back in the mid-1990s under coaching great, Joe Taylor. The Powhatan, Virginia native brings 20 years of athletic administration experience back to where it all started.
Henderson comes from Yale University where he was the deputy athletic director, but he also had stops locally in Hampton Roads at Old Dominion, William & Mary as well as the MEAC offices based in Norfolk.
"I've been at the FCS level. I've been at the FBS level. I've been in the Ivy League. There's not a lot I haven't seen."
It's that knowledge he brings that has gotten the attention of the very student/athletes he works with. "I sat in their seat", he said. "I know what they're dealing with. What they're going through."
Henderson also has a back ground in fund raising. He's looking to bring in a new era for HIstorically Black Colleges like Hampton to grow their resources like the NIL (Name, Likeness and Image). "We don't have anything in place right now", he says. "That's a hot topic nationally".
He's got his tentacles in everything starting out and none bigger than reaching out to the community, and also wants to set a new precedent for a new generation of athletic directors like himself coming back to HBCU's.
"It's a renewed focus for us in college athletics to take a look at going back and seeing what you can bring to those schools."