American and a Big 8 champ that year. And that was it. I ended up going to Clemson after that, which was a better situation for me at that time.
USA Wrestler: Early in college, you won the U.S. Open in Greco-Roman, one of the youngest to do so. What was the key to you winning at that level, and how did that build your confi- dence?
Henson: My coach Gary Mayabb and I ended up wrestling in the U.S. Open finals against each other. He helped me, he flew me out there, we stayed in the hotel together, we walked over to the arena together. It was real weird. I was really nervous. I wrestled my coach in the finals. By that time, I loved college wrestling, but in Greco, I wanted to be a World champion and an Olympic champion. My commitment level was that I was not going to stop until I reached that. I felt I could win it. I was told that I should never enter a tournament that I didn’t think I could win. That came from my brother.
USA Wrestler: You transferred to Clemson, where you won two NCAA titles. How did the change help you reach the top of the college podium? Henson: It was an awesome move for me. I got away from the Big 12. At Clemson, I wanted to make sure I was ready. I knew when I was in the Big 12, I was ready for the nationals. I was kind of worried. Gil Sanchez was the head coach at Clemson. He was from Nebraska, had some good wins and wrestled John Smith in the NCAA finals. And coach Scott Turner was a national champion from NC State. With them, all the thoughts that I had about if I could do it there went away. When I arrived, I was a different person. I had a lot of things that had happened to me that I put on myself at Missouri. This was a second chance for me. I was never looking back. I changed my personal life. Gil Sanchez showed me technique every week. He was such a great technician. I really learned how to wrestle. He is what I needed at the time. I needed to work on little things I had never worked on before. Before, I just trained harder. This time, I felt I was training smarter. I was thankful for being there, had a new outlook on life and it all came together.
USA Wrestler: Later in college, you started doing freestyle. Explain your decision to switch styles, and how you made that transition effectively. Henson: I made that decision, with my brother Chuck and Gil Sanchez. I was watching Dennis Hall, who I wrestled on the same teams all the way back to high school. We were Greco guys. I lost to Shawn Sheldon in the Trials the year I won the U.S. Open. I was going to wrestle three more years in colle- giate. He was going to wrestle three years going full-time Greco. In my mind, how am I going to compete with that? Greco is a special sport, but I was doing it three months a year. I decided to go into freestyle. I figured, when I won the college national title, that it would make the transition to freestyle easier.
USA Wrestler: Early in your freestyle career, you had a loaded weight with Zeke Jones, Lou Rosselli, Eric Akin and oth- ers. How did this competition help you improve, and was it frus- trating for you when you did not reach the top? Henson: I beat Eric Akin and Lou Rosselli almost all the time. I only lost to Zeke. But, every match with Akin and Rosselli was just a battle. You were never sure. You were confident but the guys were tough. I had tough matches and close calls with Zeke and it made me frustrated. Zeke taught me a lot about compo- sure. I would do things in the match and want to fight instead of wrestle. It made me better. And it made me a better coach now.
I would see my athletes do that and I tell them they don’t want to waste years of their life trying to fight this guy. Beat them in a wrestling match. It made me more of a professional. So when my opportunity did come, I was ready and prepared to wrestle on the biggest stage.
USA Wrestler: In 1998, you won the U.S. Open and World
Team Trials to make your first World Team. What happened that season that allowed you to break through? Henson: It’s simple. 4½ pounds. When they changed it from
114½ to 119, I was a World champ. I remember getting a call from Art Martori asking if I was ready. I cut a lot of weight. I was- n’t a 114½-pounder. When they changed the weight, I won it all. And Zeke retired that year. A lot transpired, but giving me extra pounds was a big difference.
USA Wrestler: Your first World meet in 1998 was in Iran, and you won the World gold. What are your memories of competing in Iran?
Henson: It’s the greatest place in the World to wrestle. You walk into the House of Wrestling, their own facility. I remember flying in there early morning, there were hundreds of people at the airport wanting to meet you. The people were great. They really understand wrestling. And if you are not wrestling the Iranian, they root for you. Especially for me. I was wrestling Azerbaijan in the finals, and he just beat the Iranian in the semis. They really liked me. I remember everything about it. I get chills just talking about it.
USA Wrestler: Was your wrestling performance different at
the Worlds in Iran? Henson: I was down in every match at the Worlds and never lost my composure. Earlier that year, I lost in the Goodwill Games. I talked with John Smith and he asked me what I was thinking out there. He asked, what’s my number one attribute? I said I was stronger than everyone in the world. Then he asked what was his best attribute? I said he was the best technician in the world. He said, ‘No.’ He said our best attribute was the same. He said, ‘We are in better shape than anybody in the world.’ He said I panicked when I didn’t score enough points early. That changed everything. I didn’t worry about anything after that. I’m in better shape than anybody in the world, I’m stronger, I have better technique. I’m ready. That little talk, which was off the wrestling mat, changed me.
USA Wrestler: At the 2000 Olympic Trials in Dallas, Texas, you defeated Eric Akin in two straight to make the Olympic Team. Was that experience like what you expected? Henson: It was one of those feelings of relief. Eric Akin and I are buddies. If anybody made me better over the years, it was Eric. Every time I wrestled him, it was like I stole something from him. He’s a warrior. I love the guy to death. We had been through some battles and I have the utmost respect for him. I would have liked to wrestle anybody but him in the finals, but you want to go through the best to make the team, and Eric was the best. The second match was really close. Once it was over, I didn’t want to have a third match, let’s put it that way.
USA Wrestler: At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, you powered through the bracket to reach the finals, where you lost a heartbreaker to Abdullayev of Azerbaijan, 4-3. What are your memories from Sydney? Henson: You just don’t get over things like that. I had beaten the guy four or five times. This one time, I went out too fast. I
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