Hall of Fame
The late Esther Henderson served as a coach and administrator at Shippensburg University for 25 years, from 1926 to 1936 and then from 1946-1961. In the interim she taught for 10 years at Lebanon Valley College.
Henderson was the chair of the health and physical education department at Shippensburg for many years. As an administrator she helped organize the Tau Kappa Gamma athletic sorority in 1951.
Henderson coached the women’s varsity basketball team in 1926-27 and 1927-28. The basketball team was organized as an intramural program following that season, and it remained that way until after World War II.
In 1949 Henderson took over the reins of the women’s basketball team. During the next three seasons the team only lost one game. From 1947 to 1951 Shippensburg won 32 games, lost two, and tied one (rules in the late 1940s did not permit overtime for women’s basketball). She was head coach of Shippensburg’s 8-0 team in 1951.
Henderson coached until 1961 and never had a losing season. One of the highlights in the late 1950s was a 12 game winning streak.
Henderson also coached field hockey in 1947, 1948, and 1952.
Henderson graduated from Miami University, Ohio, in 1918.
Before coming to Shippensburg she taught in the public schools in Piqua, Ohio, Williamson, West Virginia.
She earned a master’s degree at Columbia University in 1934.
