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Entering his eighth season as a Demon Deacon assistant coach is North Carolina native Keith Henry.
Henry is in his fifth season coaching the defensive ends after coaching the cornerbacks the previous two seasons and guiding the outside linebackers in 2001.
During the 2007 campaign, Henry aided in the development of defensive end Jeremy Thompson. Thompson finished his career with 20.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He was the first Deacon taken in the 2008 NFL Draft, selected by the Green Bay Packers with the third pick in the fourth round.
Henry also helped mold end Matt Robinson, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Brian Piccolo Award. Robinson overcame numerous knee and ankle injuries to become a stalwart along the Deacon defensive front. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility and will return for the 2008 season.
Two of Henry's 2006 seniors, Bryan Andrews (Cincinnati Bengals) and Jyles Tucker (San Diego Chargers) signed NFL contracts following the FedEx Orange Bowl. Tucker earned an AFC Defensive Player of the Week award with the Chargers in 2007.
In 2006, Henry had a blend of young and veteran talent that combined for 19.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Henry's group was a key reason that Wake Forest allowed just 105.8 rushing yards per game, the third-best mark in Wake Forest history.
In 2005, Henry tutored a young, but talented group of defensive ends, headlined by sophomore starters Robinson and Thompson and supported by Andrews, a junior, and freshmen Anthony Davis and Antonio Wilson.
Despite their youth and relative inexperience, they helped Wake Forest limit opposing rushing attacks to just 133.5 yards per game. That equaled the fourth-best rushing defense in Wake Forest history.
Henry initially served as Wake Forest's cornerbacks coach. Wake Forest's starting cornerbacks in 2002, Eric King and Daryl Shaw, were responsible for 10 of the Deacons' 33 opponent takeaways, including three interceptions apiece. In 2003, King earned first-team All-ACC honors and was voted WFU's team MVP.
Prior to coming to WFU, Henry spent six seasons working with Jim Grobe at Ohio University, where he served as outside linebackers coach for four seasons (1997-2000) and receivers coach for two years (1995-96). During his stint in Athens, he guided several Bobcat players to postseason honors, as linebacker Matt Weikert earned second team All-MAC recognition in 2000 after leading Ohio in tackles for loss (16) and sacks. In 1998, Rahim Slaise was a first-team All-MAC selection and Leigh Barbour earned second-team honors. The previous season, Andre Jackson was a second-team All-MAC honoree under Henry's tutelage.
Prior to Ohio, Henry worked for three years at nearby North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, coaching linebackers, receivers and defensive backs for the Aggie football team in addition to serving as head coach of the baseball squad. In his second year as baseball coach, North Carolina A&T won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, and Henry was named the league's Coach of the Year.
Henry spent the 1991 campaign as the defensive backs coach at Charleston Southern University, after serving as a graduate assistant for one and a half years at Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C.
Henry entered the coaching ranks on the high school level, coaching the defensive backs at Bandys (NC) High School in 1989.
Henry also played professionally for two seasons in the Arena League, with the Albany Firebirds during the 1990 season and the Charlotte Rage in 1991.
Henry enjoyed a stellar collegiate career as a free safety at Catawba, earning All-America honors three-times and making four appearances on the All-South Atlantic Conference first team.
He tied the school record with 20 interceptions and set a Catawba mark with 398 total tackles.
In April of 2000, Catawba inducted Henry into its Football Hall of Fame. That honor was followed by his induction into the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in March, 2001.
Henry graduated from Catawba in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and a minor in sociology. He went on to earn a master's degree in physical education administration from North Carolina A&T in 1995.
Henry and his wife, Nicole, have four children --Kirstie, K.J. and Maya Ordee and Isaiah.
