Drew Henson
Encyclopedia
Drew Daniel Henson is a retired Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

 and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

. He was drafted by the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...

.

During his football career, Henson was a member of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

. At the start of his baseball career, he was drafted by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 in the third round of the 1998 amateur draft
1998 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998...

 and played for the organization during the 2002 and 2003 seasons until he retired from the sport in 2004.

Early years

Drew Henson is the son of Carol (Flynner) Henson and Dan Henson, a former college football coach at San Jose State
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...

, Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

, Arizona State
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

, and Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...

.

Henson attended Brighton High School
Brighton High School (Michigan)
Brighton High School is located in Brighton, Michigan which is part of the Detroit Metro Area. It is part of Brighton Area Schools which are located in Livingston County.-Athletics:...

 in Brighton, Michigan
Brighton, Michigan
Brighton is a principal satellite city of Metro Detroit located in the southeast portion of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area...

, where he starred 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
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

, he added 47 tackles and five interceptions, and was also an excellent punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...

. In baseball, he hit a then national prep record 70 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s, and was named the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

High School Player of the Year and the Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...

 High School Player of the Year.

College career

Henson during the recruiting process was originally planning on committing to Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...

, but decided against it when Chris Weinke
Chris Weinke
Christopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...

 decided to enroll at FSU after a brief stint in Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

.

Henson instead attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

, where he served as a backup to starting quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...

 during the 1998
1998 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1998 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1998 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. The 1998 Wolverines finished the season with a 10–3 record and defeated the...

 and 1999
1999 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1999 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1999 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. That year Michigan Wolverines football competed in the Big Ten Conference in...

 seasons. In 1998, Henson accumulated 21 completions on 47 pass attempts, good for 254 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He saw action in seven of Michigan's 13 games, including a win over #11 Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl
1999 Florida Citrus Bowl
The 1999 Florida Citrus Bowl featured the Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC against the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten. Both teams were surprised to be playing in the game...

.

In his sophomore season, Henson 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. Henson would again see limited action when Michigan took on another bowl opponent with a higher ranking, #5 Alabama
1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1999 college football season. The team was led by head coach Mike DuBose, who was in his third season with the program...

, in the Orange Bowl
2000 Orange Bowl
The 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines on January 1, 2000, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Michigan defeated Alabama 35-34 in an overtime battle...

, and came out victorious with a 35–34 victory.

In 2000, Brady's career at Michigan had ended and Henson, now a junior, would serve as the Wolverines
2000 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2000 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the college football 2000 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.-Schedule:...

' starting quarterback for most of the season, appearing in nine of Michigan's 12 games and leading the team to a share of the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 title. Henson would throw for a career-high 312 yards in a road defeat to #21 Northwestern, 51–54, but also tie a school record with four passing touchdowns. In the regular season finale, Henson led the #19 Wolverines to Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 to take on #12 Ohio State
2000 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2000 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2000-2001. The Buckeyes compiled a 8–4 record, including a 38–26 loss to rival Michigan in Columbus in the regular season finale and a 24–7 loss to the South Carolina...

 and threw again for over 300 yards en route to a 38–26 win. For the third time in his career, Henson would face a Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 team when Michigan went on to play Auburn
2000 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2000 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. They finished the season with a 9–4 record and won the Southeastern Conference West Division championship...

 in the Citrus Bowl
2001 Florida Citrus Bowl
The 2001 Florida Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game held on January 1, 2001 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The Michigan Wolverines, co-champions of the Big Ten Conference, defeated the Auburn Tigers, champions of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, 31-28. ...

 and for the third time, again emerged victorious, winning 31–28. Henson recorded 294 yards passing on just 15 completions to go with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Henson ended the season with 146 passes in 237 attempts for 2,146 yards, along with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Records

  • Most touchdowns (passing) in a game: 4 (T-1) (2000, vs. Northwestern)

Baseball career

Henson was selected in the third round with the 97th overall selection in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft
1998 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998...

. He began his minor league playing career with the Tampa Yankees
Tampa Yankees
The Tampa Yankees are a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. They are currently members of the Florida State League and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball team. Home games are played at George M. Steinbrenner Field, a miniature replica of...

, the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

. In his first year of playing, he batted .280 with 13 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s. He began with Tampa, and after hitting .333, he was promoted to the AA Norwich Navigators
Connecticut Defenders
The Connecticut Defenders were a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 season, when the Defenders relocated to Richmond,...

 and hit seven home runs before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 with fellow prospects Jackson Melián
Jackson Melián
Jackson Melián is a former minor league baseball outfielder who reached Triple-A.-Career:Melián, represented by Scott Boras, was signed as an international free agent by the New York Yankees in 1996, receiving a $1.6 million bonus.Melián was considered a top prospect...

 and Ed Yarnall
Ed Yarnall
Harvey Edward Yarnall is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.Yarnall was drafted by the New York Mets in the third round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. In 1998, he was traded with Geoff Goetz and Preston Wilson to the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza...

 for Denny Neagle
Denny Neagle
Dennis Edward Neagle Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was last under contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the season, but he did not play due to injury...

 in 2000.

In , he was traded back to the Yankees with Michael Coleman
Michael Coleman (baseball)
Michael Donnell Coleman is a former backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.-Early life:...

 for Wily Mo Pena
Wily Mo Peña
Wily Modesto Peña is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball...

. While playing for the Yankees' AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....

, Henson was often booed because he went to Michigan. Columbus, Ohio is home to Michigan's arch rival Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

.

Henson made his major league debut with the Yankees in , playing in only three games. He struck out in his only at-bat. In 2003 he played in five games for New York, 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.

Dallas Cowboys

After retiring from baseball, he returned to football in 2004, joining the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 after they traded their third round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...

 to the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in exchange for Henson's services.

On Thanksgiving Day 2004, Henson started his first game for Dallas. Henson went 4–12 for 31 passing yards in the first half before leaving the game with the score tied at seven. Head coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...

 opted to insert veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...

 and the team went on to win the game 21–7. Henson finished the 2004 season with 10 of 18 pass attempts completed for 78 yards and one touchdown.

In 2005, Henson had a poor training camp showing and landed third on the depth chart behind Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...

 and Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...

. After the 2005 campaign, Parcells announced that Drew Henson would be allocated to NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...

 league to work on his skills. In 2006, Henson was assigned to the Rhein Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...

 of NFL Europe, where he almost led them to the World Bowl
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...

 only to finish third behind the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...

 and the Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...

. On August 23, 2006, Parcells stated that Henson would not be on the Cowboys 2006 roster. With Bledsoe as the starter, and Romo having had a strong preseason, Parcells was not inclined to keep Henson on the roster. His official status was unclear until August 24, when he was officially released. Having cleared waivers, Henson was free to sign with any NFL team.

Minnesota Vikings

On September 27, Henson signed on to the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

, but was then released on October 10. He was signed again by the Minnesota Vikings on December 6, 2006.

On March 15, 2007, Henson signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. However, he was cut from the team during training camp August 27, 2007.

Detroit Lions

On August 22, 2008, Henson was signed by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

. He was assigned No. 12. 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
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...

 was declared out for the team's Week 5 contest with an injury. The team released fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 Moran Norris
Moran Norris
Torrance Moran Norris ; born June 16, 1978) is an American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

 to make room for Henson on the active roster.

Shortly after the signing of quarterback Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...

, Henson was waived by the Lions on November 12 when the team claimed wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 Adam Jennings off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

. Henson was re-signed to the team's practice squad two days later. On November 24, Henson was signed to a two year contract off the practice squad to become number 2 on the depth chart behind Daunte 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.

Henson was released by the Lions on April 28, 2009. According to the Detroit Free Press, Henson is now retired from professional sports.

See also


External links

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