Inductees

After a very successful high school wrestling career, Henderson continued at Cerritos College in 1966-67 on a team that won every tournament until they placed second at the State Championships.

Bill continued his education and wrestling at California State University-Long Beach until the school dropped the sport in 1969. Following graduation, he was a teacher and wrestling coach at a succession of Los Angeles area high schools: Hawthorne (1969-71), Bellflower (1971-72), California (1972-74), Norwalk (1974-76), and later at Apple Valley High School (1978-84).

Henderson eventually moved over to Victor Valley High School where he served as assistant wrestling coach from 1984-93 for Sam Gollmyer in one of the most successful programs in Southern California. The team won the CIF State Championship in 1987 when Bill’s two sons were varsity starters. They added a CIF-SS Division Championship in 1990.

He coached at Victor Valley Junior College from 1993-2001 and at Hook Junior High School from 1998-2008. With the Hi Desert Wrestling Club Juniors (1978-90) and the California Jets Wrestling Club (1982-1998), he coached AAU Cultural Exchange Teams that wrestled in Europe in 1982-84. He also coached at the FILA and AAU World School Boy Festival (ages 12-16) in 1982-83.

The Jets W.C. won 13 National Team Championships, including both the large and small Senior National Team Championship in 1989. They were the first U.S. club team of Juniors to travel, train and compete in the U.S.S.R. in 1987 and 1988. They were team champions of the AAU Sears Junior Olympics in Freestyle, Greco and Sambo in 1982 and 1984. They were also Western Regional Kids Champions.

The Jets W.C. featured future U.S. Olympians and World Team members Dan Henderson and Heath Simms, as well as World Junior Champion Erin Milsap and National Junior Champion Lawrence Jackson. Other USA Wrestling National Placers were Jason Johnstone, Ramone Diaz, Tom Henderson, Greg Jackson, Corey Farkus and Lyndon Campbell.

Henderson coached CIF State Champions Ray Lenard (1987), Blair Green (1989) and Rod Luddington (1991), plus runners-up Charlie Irick, Dan Henderson and James Leonard. Bill also coached many Junior College All-Americans, and he officiated high school and junior college wrestling matches from 1968-1972.