Longtime Warsaw, Grace PA Announcer Ron Henry Retires
February 13, 2022 at 9:10 p.m.
Longtime Warsaw, Grace PA Announcer Ron Henry Retires
By Connor McCann-
Henry, who grew up in Waterloo Iowa, began his career as an announcer in 1956 as a junior at Grace College.
“It was actually their first year of basketball. The speech teacher asked me if I wanted to do the PA work. I enjoyed sports and I said yeah I’ll try it,” Henry said.
Henry would continue doing PA work for Grace for the next 40 years. He would also work double-duty from time to time, keeping score while he announced. He started announcing Warsaw boys basketball in 1982, and would continue to do both until 1996.
“I lived in constant fear of saying Lancer at a Warsaw game and Tiger at a Grace game,” Henry laughed.
Upon completing his four decades as the Lancer PA man, Henry took on a bigger role at Warsaw. He began doing football a few years later, girls basketball in 2007, and baseball in 2008.
“Basketball is probably my favorite,” Henry said. “Baseball probably would be but they start these games at the end of March. I’m announcing a game in a parka and snowmobile pants with a space heater.”
In his 40 years at Warsaw, Henry has plenty of fond memories to reflect on. He shared what he thought to be the funniest:
“We had a referee on game that looked a little too big for the pants he was wearing. A few minutes into the game, his zipper popped. He was running up and down the court with his hands in front of him, and of course the boys cheering block is going crazy for him. At the first timeout he ran off the floor.
“I knew I had to say something, but I didn’t want to say anything inappropriate. My first thought was to say he was out looking for an insurance man for better coverage. I ended up saying there would be an extended timeout for equipment repair. He got a standing ovation when he came back out.”
Henry says it hasn’t really hit him that he’s not going to be behind the mic for the Tigers after the spring. He looks forward to going to basketball games and not having anything to do, but will have to relearn being a fan.
“I go to some of these games on the road, and I see something I don’t like on the court, but I’m so used to not yelling,” Henry said. “I should be saying something, but I don’t.”
He’s also looking forward to watching them with some company.
“My wife told me the other day, in the 66 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never got the chance to sit next to her at a basketball game. I hadn’t even thought about that,” Henry said.
Henry ends his career with an injury report that would open the eyes of some of the former players he’s announced: two surgeries for colon cancer, triple-bypass surgery and two torn Achilles, one from playing softball and one from doing yard work. These ailments never caused Henry to miss a game.
Henry says he doesn’t currently have any plans for his well-earned retirement, but he doesn’t plan on sitting around either.
“In the summers we’ve traveled to Europe and around the country. I don’t have a bucket list, but I don’t want to be bored either.”
Henry, who grew up in Waterloo Iowa, began his career as an announcer in 1956 as a junior at Grace College.
“It was actually their first year of basketball. The speech teacher asked me if I wanted to do the PA work. I enjoyed sports and I said yeah I’ll try it,” Henry said.
Henry would continue doing PA work for Grace for the next 40 years. He would also work double-duty from time to time, keeping score while he announced. He started announcing Warsaw boys basketball in 1982, and would continue to do both until 1996.
“I lived in constant fear of saying Lancer at a Warsaw game and Tiger at a Grace game,” Henry laughed.
Upon completing his four decades as the Lancer PA man, Henry took on a bigger role at Warsaw. He began doing football a few years later, girls basketball in 2007, and baseball in 2008.
“Basketball is probably my favorite,” Henry said. “Baseball probably would be but they start these games at the end of March. I’m announcing a game in a parka and snowmobile pants with a space heater.”
In his 40 years at Warsaw, Henry has plenty of fond memories to reflect on. He shared what he thought to be the funniest:
“We had a referee on game that looked a little too big for the pants he was wearing. A few minutes into the game, his zipper popped. He was running up and down the court with his hands in front of him, and of course the boys cheering block is going crazy for him. At the first timeout he ran off the floor.
“I knew I had to say something, but I didn’t want to say anything inappropriate. My first thought was to say he was out looking for an insurance man for better coverage. I ended up saying there would be an extended timeout for equipment repair. He got a standing ovation when he came back out.”
Henry says it hasn’t really hit him that he’s not going to be behind the mic for the Tigers after the spring. He looks forward to going to basketball games and not having anything to do, but will have to relearn being a fan.
“I go to some of these games on the road, and I see something I don’t like on the court, but I’m so used to not yelling,” Henry said. “I should be saying something, but I don’t.”
He’s also looking forward to watching them with some company.
“My wife told me the other day, in the 66 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never got the chance to sit next to her at a basketball game. I hadn’t even thought about that,” Henry said.
Henry ends his career with an injury report that would open the eyes of some of the former players he’s announced: two surgeries for colon cancer, triple-bypass surgery and two torn Achilles, one from playing softball and one from doing yard work. These ailments never caused Henry to miss a game.
Henry says he doesn’t currently have any plans for his well-earned retirement, but he doesn’t plan on sitting around either.
“In the summers we’ve traveled to Europe and around the country. I don’t have a bucket list, but I don’t want to be bored either.”
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