Head Coach Pat Henry Announces Retirement

COLLEGE STATION – Pat Henry, the most decorated head coach in NCAA track & field history, announced his retirement Wednesday after 54 years of coaching and 22 seasons in Aggieland.

“It’s very difficult to talk about 54 years of coaching, but I can talk about the best 22 years,” Henry said. “I have been truly blessed to be the coach here at Texas A&M. Our 10 National Championships and 19 final four finishes are a big part of my 22 years, but being a part of Texas A&M has made it the best years of my career. This is a special place with many wonderful people. Our athletes are provided with the best facilities, academic and medical support. The success of our program is about our ability as a staff to recruit great talent. But great talent is never happy unless they get better. The ability to help an athlete get better is about having a great staff, a staff dedicated to being the best. I have had great assistants who work hard and smart. We have been cohesive in our message.

“Last and most importantly, I have had a family who has supported me the entire time. My wife has been my best assistant. Gail has been with me my entire career. Without her continued support and understanding I would never have been able to be involved with the sport this long. I also want to thank Trev [Alberts] and his staff for their help, care and support of our program. Trev is a coach’s athletics director. We are very fortunate to have him as the leader of our department.” 

“We want to congratulate Coach Henry on a legendary career,” Director of Athletics Trev Alberts said. “His impact on collegiate track & field spans well beyond just Texas A&M. He brought hundreds of conference and national titles to Aggieland, while developing some of the top athletes in the world. His success on both the national and international stages have cemented his historic legacy. Coach Henry has transformed the sport through his dedication, leadership and standard of excellence, and he has elevated the Texas A&M track & field program to one of the nation’s best.”

Arriving in College Station in the fall of 2004, Henry brought a championship-winning culture to Texas A&M, securing 10 NCAA team championships including his most recent crown in 2025. Of his titles, the men have claimed six, with five coming outdoors and one indoor, while on the women’s side all four titles came outdoor. Henry’s 10 championships with the Aggies paired with the 27 he accumulated at LSU made him the first coach in NCAA history with double-digit national titles at two separate schools in any sport.

Finding success on the conference level, Henry guided the Maroon & White to 14 Big 12 team titles and four SEC crowns. He won his most recent conference crown in the program’s debut hosting the SEC Championships at the R.A. Murray Fasken ’38 Indoor Track, capturing the men’s title for the first time in program history.

Along with team accomplishments, Henry’s athletes are among the most decorated in NCAA history. During his tenure, his groups have won 74 individual national titles with 39 coming from the women and 35 from the men. The championships tripled at the conference meets, as his athletes claimed 235 gold medals with the men accounting for 121 and the women 114.

Helping his athletes reach the pinnacle of the sport, Henry sent 53 Aggies to the Olympics from the 2008 Games in Beijing to the Paris Games in 2024. They not only qualified for the games, but they were among the elite as his athletes have claimed 15 medals including seven gold, four silver and four bronze. Henry’s athletes had their most successful Olympics on record at the most recent Paris Olympics, claiming a program record six total medals, two of each podium finish.

Henry leaves the sport with a historic resume that boasts 37 NCAA Division I national titles, two NJCAA national titles and 37 conference championships. Individually, Henry has been named the USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year on 13 occasions, as well as being tabbed Regional Coach of the Year 16 times, SEC Coach of the Year 15 times and Big 12 Coach of the Year 14 times.