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Business and sports have a lot in common. So it seems only fitting that sportscaster Jim Henderson would be keynote speaker when the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority hosts its first-ever banquet on Oct. 23 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Houma.
Originally from Rochester, N.Y., Henderson got his start as a sports reporter covering Little League baseball. He moved to New Orleans in 1978 to begin work with CBS affiliate WWL and stayed there nearly 34 years as analyst and play-by-play announcer for the Saints. Henderson left WWL in January, only to make a comeback in August at rival television station and FOX affiliate WVUE.
Henderson has been named Sportscaster of the Year 13 times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. His career has offered high-profile opportunities with some of the sports industry’s best-known names.
During a telephone interview, Henderson said not only is sports big business, but winning athletic organizations share much in common with small shops and corporate giants. It all depends on their game plan.
“A lot of it is teamwork,” Henderson said. “Teamwork up in the booth and how it works during the game makes a difference. Another key to anybody’s success is to make a living doing what you enjoy on a daily basis. I tell people all the time I get to work at my hobby.”
Henderson said it is significant for business leaders, as well as sports professionals, to remain grounded rather than become star-struck with themselves or the personalities around them.
“The people who I have always found the most enjoyable are people who have lived in the real world,” the sportscaster said. “I remember when Sam Mills was with the Saints and how everyone loved him. It was because he came up the hard way. He hadn’t been drafted. At one time he was teaching photography in high school.
“So, he didn’t regard what he did as a birthright. He regarded it as a privilege and a job to be enjoyed. He lived in the real world and a lot of these people haven’t.”
NFL action has not been the exclusive center of Henderson’s career. He has made regular rounds ranging from college baseball to the NBA and PGA. “I always enjoyed going to the Masters,” Henderson said. “That is a special place.”
Henderson’s message to TEDA members, sponsors and guests is expected to be one of practical application in what a person does for a living and what that person offers his or her community.
“We want to highlight some businesses that we’ve helped, give them accolades and shine a light on how TEDA has helped them,” TEDA Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Hingle said of banquet plans. “It is a good way for the public to see what we do other than meetings.”
Hingle said the TEDA banquet quickly sold out and approximately 250 people are expected to be in attendance.
Corporate sponsorship is paying for the event.
Jim Henderson
