Gus Henderson

Elmer Clinton "Gloomy Gus" Henderson (March 10, 1889 – December 16, 1965) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Southern California (1919–1924), the University of Tulsa (1925–1935), and Occidental College (1940–1942), compiling a career college football record of 126–42–7. Henderson's career winning percentage of .865 at USC is the best of any Trojans football coach, and his 70 wins with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane remain a team record. In between his stints at Tulsa and Occidental, Henderson moved to the professional ranks, helming the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the American Football League in 1937 and the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 1939. Henderson also coached basketball and baseball at USC, each for two seasons.

Early life Henderson was born in Oberlin, Ohio on 10 March 1889. He graduated from Oberlin College, and then coached at Broadway High School in Seattle, Washington.

USC Henderson arrived at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1919 and set the Trojans football team on its first steps toward national prominence. He led USC to a 6–0 record in 1920, the team's first perfect season of at least three games, and their first appearance in the Rose Bowl in 1923. In the 1923 Rose Bowl, the first Rose Bowl game to be held in its namesake stadium, USC's faced their first opponent from east of the Rocky Mountains. The Trojans defeated the heavily favored Penn State Nittany Lions, 14–3. Penn State arrived at the game 45 minutes late and ten minutes after the scheduled kickoff because of a traffic jam. Henderson accused Penn State coach Hugo Bezdek of doing so as a psychological tactic, and the coaches nearly began throwing punches. Later, they exchanged public insults after the game.

Gordon Campbell, a halfback USC's 1923 Rose Bowl team, said of Henderson, "He put the Trojans on the map. He was a great coach when we needed one most because we were just growing up."

Under Henderson's tenure, USC joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1922 and, in 1923, moved from Bovard Field on campus to play in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He received his nickname from Los Angeles Times sports editor Paul Lowry because of his tendency to poor-mouth the Trojans' prospects before a game. Gloomy Gus was a character in a popular era comic strip, Happy Hooligan.

Regarding his offensive tactics, which proved successful, Los Angeles Times sports editor Paul Zimmerman noted, "Until someone proves otherwise, it must be assumed that Henderson invented the spread formation, variations of which have become an important form of attack in modern day football."

During his time at USC, Henderson also coached the Trojans baseball team in 1920 and 1921 and school's basketball team for two seasons from 1919 to 1921.

Henderson left USC following the 1924 season, despite a 45–7 record, partly due to his inability to defeat rival California in five tries. USC's loss to California in 1924 loss followed one week later by an upset at the hands of Saint Mary's. Henderson's contract was bought out at the end of the year. At the time, USC also had strained relations with Cal and Stanford University, who threatened to sever conference ties with USC due to their belief that USC was using cash to recruit players.

USC quarterback Chet Dolley was dismissive of the idea, noting, "That was really a joke, because the university didn't have a dime." He stated that Henderson "made his players responsible for bringing in athletes. I came from Long Beach, so I was assigned to that area. So, naturally, I was in charge of getting Morley Drury." The Lions posted a 6–5 record during their 1939 season, but the team was sold before the 1940 season. Despite a three-year contract, Henderson was released by new owner Fred Mandel.

Later coaching career

Again, Henderson returned to Los Angeles to take over the football program at Occidental College. As a head coach from 1940 to 1942, he posted a record of 11–10–2, but the program was suspended due to World War II, and he ended his coaching career.

Death Henderson died on 16 December 1965 at age 76 in Desert Hot Springs, California of complications from pneumonia. He was survived by his wife, Kathryn, and their daughter. His cremated remains were returned to Oberlin, Ohio. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Head coaching record College football