The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-06

Terrific Texan Wins Four Letters And That's Only the Beginning
He's Also Best A. 6 M. Boxer, Fancy Dancer
BY E. c. OATES NEA Special COrrespondent

College Station, Tex, May 7- Some college athletes are content to try for two or three sports, but Bill Henderson of Texas A. & M. be- lieves in wholesale lots of action.
 Jitterburg Henderson, 6 feet 1, Is a letterman end in football.
 Basketball captain-elect, he twice was @ letterman at guard and was adjudged the most valuable player on the tenn.
 He is a letterman in track, in which he competes in the javelin, discus, shot, broad jump and high jump.
 Henderson is a pitcher and first baseman in baseball and won the heavyweight boxing championship of the 6500-all-man military college. GETS JOB DONE
 IN ONE YEAR
 By winning a baseball letter this year, he will not only be the first four-sport letterman in the e4-year Texas A. & M. athletic history, but will accomplish the feat in one school year.
 He also holds U. s. Army medals as a pistol and rifle expert and ill- tends to annex letters in both of these recognized sports.
 If time permitted. he would play water polo as goalie and swim in distance events. He yields a fair racquet in tennis.
 The Aggies believe Henderson will be just as hot in football next fall as Jarrin' John Kimbrough was last trip.
 Texas A. & M. loses heavily by graduation, but Coach Homer Hill Norton Is not as bad off as he is pictured. He has Henderson.
 Houston's former all-state high school basketball player was named Robert William Henderson, Sept. s 1919, but since has collected as many nicknames as he has athletic awards.
 In high school he devoted his time to basketball With the excep- tion of one year when he went out for football so he could make trip to Mexico City.
 Jitterburg came to Aggieland in the fall of 1888 as a basketball play CT. In jntramural and freshman games that season 1t was common for him to drop in from 30 to 60 points in game.
 Last fall Billy reported for foot ball practice with l95 pounds draped on his ample frame and after two or three days of work he was doWl, to leO pounds, but then the 2l-year. old lad with the broad shoulders and spindle legs began picking hi! weight back up about as well as ht was picking passes out of the air He went into his first college foot ball game at 205 pounds.
 Billy shared time at end with Bil Buchanan, but at that he led th' conference in yards made on pas' receiving with 334 yards on l8 re. captions, Coach Jess Nicely will I probably never forget the Saturday afternoon last fall when the lao beat his Rice Owls practically sim gle-handed by catching eight con- secutive passes for ll7 yards to fig ure in every touchdown of the 25-0 score.
 WON LETTER
 IN FIRST MEET
 Billy won his track letter in the first major meet he was in, stack ing up the required number of points with participation in the ja- velin throw, discus throw, high jump and shot put. That was in a meet with Texas and Abilene Chris tian and when he finished on the track he pitched part of a baseball game against Baylor.
 A few nights later Billy stepped Into the ring and beat Bill Sibley for the heavyweight boxing cham- pionship of the school
 His nickname, Jitterburg. was won on q dance floor. Several times he has won prizes for his jitterourg stomp.
 It's Captain Henderson now as this elongated athlete was elected basketball captain only few nights ago and that along with his other work will put him well In the run ming for the title of the nations l94i College Athlete of the Year.
 He finds time to study when ne isn't doing something else and last fall he barely missed being dis- tinguished student, having B aver age.
 Jitterbug Henderson. Wota man!
 1KQO-WRRY-96