By: Jody Henley-Boston
Even though I was a young girl, my TigerTown Moment came when I was standing on the field the day my dad, Garney Henley, retired.
I was five years old at the time and I remember waiting to walk on the field with my mother Phyllis, my sisters Pam and Lori, my brother Kyle, and my grandparents Oliver and Rosina Henley. I remember staring into the crowd and watching and hearing the standing ovations.
My dad is, and was, a quiet and humble man to say the least, and has proven to be one the best CFL players in the history of the game.
I really didn’t realize how talented or recognized my father was until I got older, when we were at a store or an event and people would always ask for his autograph. It happened all the time, even when he was in the stands for one of his children’s events. Teachers and classmates would even come up to me and my brother and sisters and say how much they liked our dad.
Another milestone in my dad’s career was being inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in South Bend, Indiana, with his family once again there to support him, including his children, grandchildren and other family members. I believe it was a great moment for him to have his grandchildren see that Grandpa was pretty good at football. Not that they didn’t already know that, but they might not of noticed, just like I didn’t notice when I was a little girl.
My father is a special man and to this day he still doesn’t brag or boast about his accomplishments in football. About a year ago, a fan that lives in the state of Kansas wrote a book and song about my dad. He shared that with us, we got a copy of the book and heard the song, but other then that he really doesn’t talk much about his career and I think that makes my memories mean even more.
