Bill Henry obit

Pasadena community loses a sports legend: Bill Henry dead at 86

 

He was not on the list.

Bill Henry, who starred on Pasadena High’s state championship basketball team in 1946 before embarking on a 16-year career as a major-league pitcher, passed away last Friday (April 11) in Round Rock.

Henry, 86, pitched for six big-league teams, most notably the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. While with the Reds, he pitched in the 1960 All-Game and in the 1961 World Series.

Two years ago, he was among the first group of former Pasadena ISD athletes and coaches to be inducted into the district’s new Athletics Hall of Fame.

Henry, who lived in Deer Park, had planned to attend the Hall of Fame’s third annual induction banquet on Saturday and the grand opening of the Hall of Fame Museum held in conjunction with the banquet. He suffered a heart episode last week and died shortly after being transported to a medical facility in Round Rock.

A moment of silence was held at the banquet in Henry’s honor.

As a Pasadena High senior in 1946, Henry earned basketball all-state honors while helping lead the Eagles to the state championship - the only state title ever won by a Pasadena ISD squad in basketball, football or baseball.

After high school, he turned his attention to baseball, a sport not offered in most Texas high schools at the time. He earned a spot on the University of Houston’s first baseball team and became the first UH baseball product ever to reach the major leagues.

A tall left-hander, Henry broke in with the Boston Red Sox and eventually developed into a relief specialist. With the Cubs in 1959, he enjoyed one of the best seasons of any reliever in the 1950s. He led the National League with 65 appearances, posted a 9-8 record with 12 saves and a dazzling 2.63 ERA.

Traded to the Reds that winter, Henry was named to the National League All-Star team in 1960. In the 1961 World Series, he made two relief appearances for the Reds against the New York Yankees, striking out baseball’s new home-run record- holder, Roger Maris, in one of them. The Reds lost the Series in five games.

For his career, Henry appeared in 527 games, compiled 90 saves and posted an ERA of 3.26.

He also pitched for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. He appeared in three games for the Astros, all in 1969, before deciding to retire.

Henry is survived by his wife of 69 years, Betty Lou Sabo-Henry; his four sons: Charlie, Jack, Billy and Mark; his grandchildren: Brian, Matt, Sarah and Gus; and a brother, Jack.

Henry was born Oct. 15, 1927, in Alice. After his retirement from baseball, he worked for the Houston Boatmen, ILA Local #1438.

A public viewing is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, from 5-8 p.m. at the Pasadena Funeral Home, 2203 Pasadena Blvd. A funeral service is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Funeral Chapel.

A graveside service and internment will follow at South Park Cemetery, 1310 N. Main, in Pearland.

A left-handed pitcher, he appeared in Major League Baseball between 1952 and 1969 for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros. He was nicknamed "Gabby" by teammates for his quiet nature.

After playing college baseball for the Houston Cougars, he began his career for the Red Sox in 1952, and was primarily a starter for the team. Henry was the first from the University of Houston's baseball history to make it to the Major League. After a two-year absence from the Major Leagues, he returned to MLB as a relief pitcher for the Cubs in 1958. He would only make 2 starts the rest of his career.

As a reliever, Henry amassed 90 saves. He appeared in the 1960 All-Star Game, and pitched in the 1961 World Series while on the Cincinnati Reds.

Henry was released by the Houston Astros on June 28, 1969, ending his Major League career.

Henry was a victim of identity theft and his death was erroneously reported in August 2007 in a news story that was widely circulated. He was contacted by baseball historian David Allen Lambert who first reported his false death report to him. He resided in Deer Park, Texas, near Houston. Bill Henry's story appeared in Sports Illustrated in Rick Reilly's "Life of Reilly" column entitled "The Passing of a Counterfeit Bill" (September 24, 2007, p. 76).

He died as a result of heart problems at the age of 86 on April 11, 2014, in Round Rock, Texas.