Hensley Sapenter
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 16, 1939 |
| Playing career | |
| late 1950s | Prairie View |
| Position(s) | Center, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961–1965 | Booker T. Washington HS (TX) (assistant) |
| ?–1970 | Wheatley HS (TX) (assistant) |
| 1971 | Fox Tech HS (TX) (assistant) |
| 1995–1996 | Prairie View |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1976–1995 | San Antonio ISD |
| 1995–1996 | Prairie View |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 0–22 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame (2003) | |
Hensley W. Sapenter (born December 16, 1939) is a former American football coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Prairie View A&M University from 1995 to 1996, compiling a record of 0–22. Sapenter was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]
Early life and playing career
Sapenter grew up in San Antonio and attended Wheatley High School there. He played college football at Prairie View A&M University as a center and linebacker for in the late 1950s under head coach Billy Nicks.[2] He was inducted into the school's Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[3]
Coaching career
After graduating from Prairie View in 1960, Sapenter began his coaching career at Booker T. Washington High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, working as an assistant football coach under Ervin Garnet.[4]
Sapenter was hired as the athletic director for the San Antonio Independent School District in 1976.[5][6] He had recently retired from that post when, in 1995, he was hired as interim head football coach, and athletic director at Prairie View, despite having not coached at any level since 1972. He was told that he would only be considered for the full-time job if he could win.[2]
In two years, Sapenter finished 0–22, making him one of the few college football coaches to have never won a game.[7][8] During his tenure, his teams were outscored 950–210.[9]
On September 23, Prairie View was drubbed, 44–6 by Tarleton State tying Macalester's NCAA record 50 straight losses. They broke the tie the next week with a 64–0 thumping by Grambling State—the 399th career win for Grambling's legendary coach, Eddie Robinson.
The streak grew to 80 consecutive losses before it was broken in 1998.[10] Sapenter was first suspended with pay and then subsequently fired following an investigation into the use of ineligible players.[11]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A&M Panthers (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1995–1996) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Prairie View A&M | 0–11 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| 1996 | Prairie View A&M | 0–11 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| Prairie View A&M: | 0–22 | 0–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 0–22 | ||||||||
References
- ^ "Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
- ^ a b Sports Illustrated/CNN Archived July 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine "Once Upon A Time..." by John Ed Bradley, August 28, 1995
- ^ "Hensley Sapenter (1995) - Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall Of Fame". Prairie View, Texas: Prairie View A&M University Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ Goolsbey, Jeff (November 4, 1995). "Rams blow past HU for CIAA title". Times Record News. Wichita Falls, Texas. p. 3B. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Sapenter named AD for SASD". [San Antonio Express. Wichita Falls, Texas. August 26, 1976. p. 1H. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Sapenter named AD (continued)". [San Antonio Express. Wichita Falls, Texas. August 26, 1976. p. 2H. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Prairie View A&M University coaching records Archived January 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Prairie View Agricultural & Mechanical University Directory". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
- ^ "All-Time Coaching Records by Year". Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ Sports Illustrated Memorable Losing Streaks, Prairie View A&M
- ^ New York Times "Team That's 0-58 May Have Broken Rules" September 4, 1996