Garney Henley 80 yrs old on Monday

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
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18 hours ago
Garney today
Hamilton Spectator
Today, Garney Henley, living in Huron, South Dakota, with his wife, Charlotte, and Baby, his pit bull terrier, is retired but at harvest time he works on a local 55,000-acre grain farm seven days a week, 14 to 16 hours a day, starting at 6 a.m., and he loves every minute of it as it reminds him of his roots. He is also an avid vegetable gardener at home.

What an incredible man!

I will never forget the day I went to his house on the west mountain, knocked on his door to ask for his autograph,
Mrs. Henley answered the door and invited me in, I waited in his study full of trophies and track medals,
Garney came in and spent 15 minutes with me, I still remember it vividly like it was yesterday!

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How old were you? And how did you know where he lived. Stalker! :wink:

J/k. You could never do that this day in age of lawsuits

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How fortunate you were to meet Garney Henley in his west mountain home. I’ve spent a life time living on the mountain and never knew that Garney made his home up here as well.
He was my favourite all time Ticat player.

It was great to read Robert Nielsen’s article about him in this morning’s Spectator. He was a player for the ages on both sides of the football. In a pinch, he could even fill in at quarterback.

Thanks for posting this one and so many others, Grover. :thup:

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I think it is 33 Geneva Drive by Buchanan Park, right beside the cut through sidewalk to Buchanan Park school
On the right side of the sidewalk as you are going towards the school.

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Grover: Thanks for the heads up!
He was my #1 football hero when I was at Central.

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I was about 14 or 15 yrs old like 47 years ago
Ralph Goldston and Vince Scott lived right around Buchanan Park and Joe Zuger lived just across Mohawk Rd.

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What I just posted in the CHCH thread which really belongs here:

"HENLEY FOR THE SCHENLEY" was the battle cry in my home in the sixties as well. :thup: :thup: :thup: :thup:

IIRC, in the sixties there was only one (in effect, most outstanding offensive player) MOP award in addition to Most Outstanding Lineman. Garney was never chosen in the sixties as MOP as he was known mostly as a middle safety and played flanker only part time. It took until 1972 when Jerry Williams played him permanently at flanker that he won his one and only MOP award. Even then there was controversy as his competition for the award, (Mini) Mac Herron of the bummers, had what some considered a better statistical year. Some thought Henley won as the sympathetic favourite.

Myself? I look at his rather unbelievable 24.5 yards average per catch that year as the deciding factor why I consider him to be the rightful winner.

In closing, when the Cats were in a tough spot and needed a big offensive play to win a game in the sixties we all knew that Trimble, Sazio or Restic would put number 26 in the game. He was an amazing player and my idol as well.

:cowboy:
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Pretty cool Grov!

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24 yards per catch?! Thats in sane.

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My favourite Ticat ever. He was incredible. I appreciated his play on defence as much as on offence, probably more so, and I remember him returning punts too, in the era of no blocking on returns. I recall him being in the end zone in a tight game, and the opponents (not sure who) punted into the end zone trying for a needed point. Garney ran it around in the zone (25 yards deep in those days), lateralled, received it again on another lateral, with the coverage team giving him all kinds of room out of fear of what he might do and kind of playing "prevent " coverage too. Garney eventually brought it out to avoid the rouge.

Grover, you are really lucky to have met him like that. I got his autograph too, at the stadium right after a game, before he left the field. I still have it put away somewhere.

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I have to agree with everybody else in here about Mr. Garney Henley.....simply one of the BEST that ever played the game and one of my all time favourites. I don't know about anybody else but I have always thought it to be a travesty and miscarriage of justice by this organization that number #26 hasn't been officially retired by the team. IMO Henley is long overdue to have his number retired along with Faloney's #10 and Mosca's #68. I always thought it strange over the years as a Cat fan to look out and see other players wearing that #26 jersey , it just looked wrong to me as much as seeing #68 worn by others. The Cats last season finally righted a wrong and retired Mosca's classic #68 I say they continue this tradition next season and give Henley the same honour and night and finally officially retire his number #26 and let it hang where it rightfully belongs beside Faloney's and Mosca's at THF. So come on Ti-Cats do the right thing before it's too late and right this wrong, if anybody deserves it it's Henley for sure and like I said before this honour is long overdue for the man who epitomized what Ti-Cat football was all about for 16 seasons.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/migration_catalog/article4065810.ece/BINARY/w620/mosca

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/502539697-got-it-garney-henley-maks-a-great-clutch-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=X7WJLa88Cweo9HktRLaNXmSgRBeTrbJiQg3OyLjGBU5iWN5KkCn2VLCGL96yXbQ2pzE1aCb1iZmY3QL8RzJT9g%3D%3D

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Happy Birthday Garney at 80 years young, you still look like you could get back out on the field and provide us Tiger-Cat fans with those amazing catches and runs!!

Thank you for providing us with many great memories!!

GO CATS GO IN 2016!!!

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His family’s video tribute for his 80th:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKkltzaz2YM
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Thanks for posting. :rockin:

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What always amazed me about Garney Henley was that when he came in on offence to play “flanker”, everyone in the stadium, and on the field, knew the ball was going to Henley, and he would still catch it and make positive yards. Usually big yards. Game after game and year after year. I know, realistically, that he must have missed a few and perhaps was even tackled for a loss occasionally - but that will never happen in my memories! And to catch four of eight TDs for Joe Zuger’s record. Come on, you will have a tough time trying to convince me that there was a better receiver to ever wear a Tiger-Cat sweater.

I bought Schenley’s rye for years after he won the award. Wish I had some now to toast a truly classy guy on his birthday. Happy Birthday Garney!!

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Buchanan Park was a great place to live in the sixties...in addition to the players already mentioned, Bronko Nagurski lived on Laurier Ave...I was thrilled to deliver the Star Weekly to the home of Mr Henley.

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[b]The 1962 Fog Bowl, the greatest Grey Cup you never saw.

"It was one of my best," Henley recalled this week. "I played the whole game, both ways, scored two touchdowns and made an interception."[/b]
[b]
Coach Jim Trimble later recalled one of Henley's majors:
"We had a defensive tackle named Willie McClung of the Cleveland Browns who wasn't dressed but was on the bench and as blind as any of us. But I heard him saying to a teammate: 'What a spot to use the old Statue of Liberty play!'

Being the genius that I am, I promptly sent it in to my quarterback, Bernie Faloney. Bernie fades back to pass, handing the ball behind him to Garney Henley, and not even the officials knew what happened until Garney scored in the end zone."

Leading up to the '62 Cup, Henley said one of his most memorable games was when Joe Zuger, playing his first game for Hamilton, threw eight touchdown passes, including four to Henley to beat Saskatchewan.
Zuger said, "The only guy I know with a national non-booing record is Garney Henley. It doesn't matter where he goes — even the opposition fans don't boo him."

Tiger-Cat fans everywhere know that Ian Sunter kicked the game-winning field goal to win the 1972 Grey Cup 13-10 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders right here in Hamilton, but it was Garney Henley who helped make it all possible.[/b]

"With less than two minutes remaining, and the ball on the Hamilton 15, (Chuck) Ealey had gone to work. Not having used Tony Gabriel throughout the game, he now hit him three times in succession, moving the ball to midfield. Chuck then threw to Garney, streaking across the field. The ball arrived slightly behind him, but he stretched back and deftly caught it in the crook of his arm as he went down. This was the point, with 27 seconds left on the clock, where Garney took the snap from centre and held the ball for Sunter to wrap things up."

— excerpted from "Garney Henley: A Gentleman and a Tiger"

[url=http://m.thespec.com/sports-story/6201286-hall-of-fame-memories]http://m.thespec.com/sports-story/62012 ... e-memories[/url]
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I remember that play very well. Yes, Gabriel caught key passes to move the ball upfield. And yes, Sunter kicked a clutch field goal to win it. But that catch by Garney Henley was just about impossible. The pass was behind him, it looked like he slipped as he reached back for it, but he hauled it in anyway. I was lucky enough to be there. Awesome, like so many other plays he made in his incredible career. I put it up there with "the catch" by Tony Champion in the 1989 Grey Cup game. Maybe not as dramatic looking on its own, but also very difficult, and it was the last offensive play, putting them in position for Sunter's winning kick.

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Happy birthday and Merry Christmas Garney. :thup: