Jean Henry, a former head coach of the Texas State swimming and diving team from 1979-82, will be inducted into the Texas Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame on Friday (April 26) in Austin as a member of the Class of 2024.
 
As a leader of the Bobcats for three seasons, Henry (formerly Jean Collins) coached the Bobcats to become national qualifiers and All-Americans, including Carrie Spisak who was crowned AIAW Division II All-American in the 1650 free in 1980-81. The Bobcats, who were members of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), won the TAIAW state title in all three seasons when she was the head coach.
 
Texas State competed in the TAIAW and AIAW up until the organization ceased operations in 1982 and women's collegiate sports across the country were moved under the NCAA.
 
"At this point in life, it's a really great acknowledgment of a body work and not just what I did as a swimmer, the Olympic trials, the state titles, the national records and those kinds of things," said Henry. "I've coached, I've been a master swimmer, I've directed aquatics facilities that gave a lot of people opportunities to either become competitive swimmers or integrate aquatics and swimming into their life to create healthy lifestyles. I like that it can come at the end of a career and embody a full body of work.
 
"It was my first full-time formal coaching position and I couldn't have asked for a better experience and a better place to do it," said Henry about her time leading the Bobcat swimming and diving program. "Of course, it is sad it couldn't continue on, but the time here was great. I had a great group of young women who were serious about their swimming but knew how to balance their lives and have fun. They made my life a lot better, and it was a great opportunity for me."

From swimming her first meet at the age of five in Pasadena, Texas, to earning several All-American titles, Henry is a legend within the swimming community in Texas.
 
The Texan competed in her first nationals at the age of 12, and in her time at high school, she became a two-time All-American and earned a national ranking of second in backstroke.
 
In addition to being one of the nation's top swimmers, Henry became a member of the first girls water polo team in Texas at age 11 and went on to represent Texas at the National Junior Olympics. Not long after receiving the Lilian Kneip Award as Texas' outstanding female swimmer, she also qualified for the Olympic Trials in 1968.
 
After her many early achievements, she decided to continue her swimming career in college at Texas A&M, under head coach Pat Patterson. She and her teammates made up the first swimming and diving team at Texas A&M in 1970-71.
 
Henry graduated from Texas A&M as the first-ever female All-American in the history of the school, earning the honor in the 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter IM. Henry helped change the face of the swimming and diving program at Texas A&M as the team went from no access to an Olympic-sized pool and a lack of athletic scholarships during her career.
 
After Texas A&M, Henry went on to earn a master's degree in sports administration and exercise physiology, and in 1994, she attended Texas Woman's University where she earned a Ph.D. in Health Studies, specializing in Worksite Health Promotion.
 
Upon her goodbye to Texas State in the early 1980s, Henry got stuck into a slightly different area of expertise, however one that still required her many years of expertise in the water. 
 
She is among the first women to serve as a Scuba diver instructor in various institutions including the YMCA Scuba academy, National Association of Underwater instructors (NAUI) and Scuba Educators. She has served 37 years with all of these academies as a scuba instructor, trainer and course director.
 
Henry has had a lifelong career of helping teach others what she does best. She recently retired from her role as an associate professor at the University of Arkansas.
 
She will enter the Texas Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame alongside her other Class of 2024 members Nate Dusing, Vicki Look Veris, Jim Stillson, Emmett Hines (Lifetime Achievement Award), and Aggie Swim Club (Wally Pryor Distinguished Team).
 
Swimming and diving was introduced to Texas State in 1969 along with gymnastics. The first six women's intercollegiate varsity teams after Title IX was signed into law at Texas State in 1972 were basketball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.