Pete Henry

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Pete Henry
Date of birth October 31, 1897(1897-10-31)
Place of birth Mansfield, OH, U.S.
Date of death February 7, 1952 (aged 54)
Place of death Washington, PA, U.S.
Position(s) Offensive tackle
College Washington & Jefferson
Honors NFL 1920s All-Decade Team
Career Record 3-17-3
Playing Stats DatabaseFootball
Coaching Stats DatabaseFootball
Team(s) as a player
1920-1926
1927
1927-1928
Canton Bulldogs
New York Giants
Pottsville Maroons
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1926
1928
Canton Bulldogs
Pottsville Maroons
College Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963

Wilbur "Pete" Henry (October 31, 1897February 7, 1952) was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League.

After graduating college at Washington & Jefferson, Henry signed with the Canton Bulldogs on September 17th, 1920. Henry appeared pudgy and fat at 5'11", 245 lbs. However his looks were deceiving, as he was more agile than he appeared. During the 1922 season while playing primarily offensive tackle with Canton, Henry, playing alongside Link Lyman and Guy Chamberlin, helped make Canton the first true powerhouse team of professional football, with a 10-0-2 record.

Despite his size and abilities at blocking, Henry was also considered one of the greatest kickers of his era. Statistics for kicks were imprecise at best during that time, however one accurate statistic was that of a 45 yard drop kick field goal kicked by Henry on December 10th, 1922. He set a professional football record with that kick that stood for twelve years. Many claimed that both Jim Thorpe and Paddy Driscoll had beaten that record, both supposedly drop kicking field goals at 50 yards. Driscoll was alleged to have kicked two from 50 yards in one game on September 28th, 1924. However, these claims could not be supported by any varifiable records. Henry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

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