Bill Henderson

Who is Bill Henderson?

R. E. "Bill" Henderson was an American basketball coach. He was the head men's basketball coach at Baylor University from 1941–42 to 1942–43, and from 1945–46 to 1960–61. In his 18 seasons at Baylor, Henderson had a win–loss record of 201–233, and his teams made three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Prior to becoming a college head coach, Henderson coached the Temple High School boys' basketball team, which reached the 1928 state championship game. Although Henderson's Temple team lost to Austin High School in the title game, it was eventually awarded the championship because an ineligible player had been on Austin's roster. In Henderson's first two seasons in charge of Baylor, the team finished with records of 11–9 and 6–14. After his two-season break, he guided the team to a 25–5 record, Southwest Conference championship, and NCAA Tournament berth in 1945–46. In the 1948 NCAA Tournament, the Bears reached the title game, rallying from sizable deficits against Washington and Kansas State along the way. Baylor faced Kentucky for the national championship, losing 58–42. It was the first time a Southwest Conference team had advanced to the championship game in an NCAA Tournament.