Coody, Henry Take Part in TCU Legends Speakers Series
5/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
May 17, 2011
FORT WORTH—TCU Horned Frog golfing greats Charles Coody and J.J. Henry were the featured guests Tuesday during the TCU Legends Speaker Series presented by Bank of America at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center on the TCU campus.
Proceeds from Tuesday's event helped benefit Cook Children's Hospital, as well as charities aligned with the two guest speakers in the Henry House Foundation and Charles Coody TCU Golf Scholarship.
The event, emceed by Voice of the Frogs Brian Estridge and Dean of the M.J. Neeley School of Business O. Homer Erekson, featured a question-and-answer session with Coody and Henry, two veterans of the PGA Tour. Among the topics covered were how both players began their careers in golf, how they originally arrived at TCU, their time on the PGA Tour and differences in the two players' eras. The event was held in conjuction with this week's Crowne Plaza Invitational, which is being played at nearby Colonial Golf Club.
Henry, who makes his home in Fort Worth, is a 14-year veteran of both the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour. He has totaled 30 career top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including his victory at the 2006 Buick Championship, and he enters this weekend's Crowne Plaza Invitational with six top-25 finishes so far in 2011. Henry is scheduled to tee off his opening round at 11:40 a.m. on the course's front nine.
Prior to his time as a professional, Henry put together one of the most accomplished careers ever for a TCU student-athlete. He was a three-time All-American who finished tied for second place at the 1998 NCAA Championship. Henry was inducted into the TCU Letterman's Association Hall of Fame in 2009.
Alongside Henry Tuesday was Coody, who recently celebrated one of the most memorable moments ever for a former Frog with the 40th anniversary of his victory at the 1971 Masters Tournament. A three-time TCU letterman from 1957 through 1959, Coody scrawled out a long and successful professional career on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour before his retirement in 2008. He combined for numerous victories during his stints on both tours, including the signature Masters championship that saw him hold off several of golf's all-time greats in the final round, including Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Gary Player.
Long before he took possession of his Green Jacket, Coody made his way from his native Abilene, Texas, to attend TCU from 1955 through 1960. Initially a multi-sport athlete as a Horned Frog, he settled on golf after also spending one season on the TCU basketball team under legendary head coach Buster Brannon.
Among the stories shared Tuesday were both golfers' favorite personal moments on the course. Henry cited his hole-in-one and birdie finish that helped both TCU win the 1998 WAC team championship and himself claim the conference individual crown. Coody's top memory was his relationship with caddy Walter "Cricket" Pritchett during his 1971 Masters run. Pritchett was worried about being seen on television while skipping out on work to tend to Coody's bag.
