Tribute to Greg Hennigar

Greg Hennigar, former star QB at Father Judge (Class of 2002), died
May 31 of injuries suffered in an automobile accident. He was a freshman
at Penn State and had made the football team as a preferred walk-on. He
had even played well in the recent Blue-White game. Greg was liked and
respected by everyone who knew him. We welcome comments about Greg,
the person, and Greg, the football player.
Please send to silaryt@phillynews.com. Thank you.

As Greg's Mom it is very hard to put into words the loss that I am feeling. All of you have been true friends throughout this tragedy. My dearest son, my baby, my comedian, my football player is missed every minute of the day. He was a hero in my book, not only to people on the outside, but in our home too. He was the most caring and considerate person to all. I miss him and love him, and trying to stay strong to help my family get through this together along with his many friends. I thank all of you for all your love and support, it does mean so much to me.
Love,
Marie Hennigar
Greg's Mom #12 -- which is my birthday, 12/12

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Greg. We were just starting to be acquainted with Greg before this tragic happening. Our son Scott had nothing but great things to say about Greg on and off the field. The fine memories of a young man, who was cut short in his dreams, will never be forgotten.
Our prayers will be with you always.
-- The Paxson Family
(Ted's note: Scott Paxson, of Roman Catholic and Juniata, is defensive lineman for Penn State.)

I would like to express my deepest sympathy for Greg's family and friends.
Although i did not grow up with Greg, I did have the privilege of befriending
him during our short time preparing for the All City Game. He was a great
football player, but even a greater person. He made everyone feel a part of the
team. His personality was unparalleled. He will be sorely missed by everyone.
-- Ryan Brody Non Pub Teammate (Roman)

When you hear about a person who is taking from us like Greg was you just have to question your faith. When I was awaking with the news that not only my teamate but my great friend(and i stress great) was taking from me all I thought was why? Greg was the best ever QB in the catholic league but the best ever friend I could ask for. Greg would go out of his way to put a smile on your face or just to help you out. These next couple of days will be so hard on everyone esp his family. But for all the grief we mourn , we have to think about all the times that silly old red head made me laugh. And at times I am not the easiest to make laugh. Greg you will truely be missed . My heart and soul go out to Greg family. Greg I just want you to know how much of a impact you had on my life, I'll never ever forget you buddy . I love you man. P.S. Greg should of got best teamate Ted....
--- Friend and teamate forever Justin O'Brien
RIP #12 gone but never ever forgotten

I would like to first off thank Greg's parents for raising a truly amazing human being and express my deepest condolence and sympathy to Greg's family. I've only known Greg for the past four years but feel like I've known him my entire life. That's just the kind of person he was. A warm spirit who was liked by everyone he came in contact with. Greg's motivation and high expectations of himself always rubbed off on those around him. Whether if it was in the weight room or on the football field Greg was one who we all looked up to and the kind of person who we all would have liked to be a little bit more like. His name and his dreams will never be forgotten.
-- Bryan Thomas Father Judge Teammate "01"

greg was one of the greatest guys i have ever known, if it wasnt for greg i probably wouldnt be playin football now, before my junior year started i wanted to quit football but greg convinced to come back and play. greg was a great guy and a great friend i have him to thank for where i am today...we love ya GREG #12
-LOU Giorla #74 class 0f 2003

Greg was one of the greatest guys in the world. He was so funny. You could bust up laughing just by the facial expressions he made.If you were talking to greg there was no way you wouldnt walk away from him without laughing. I played football with Greg for two years and he was an excellent leader and was someone you could always look up to or rely on. He was a beautiful athlete. Just barely 200 lbs., he could bench press 315 lbs. and could throw a football like a rocket. He will be sorely missed and it will be hard to go on without thinking of Greg everyday. My prayers and thoughts go out to his family and friends through this tuff time and tragic loss.
-- Ryan Prodoehl (judge teammate) OL/class of 03'

Our prayers go out to the Hennigar family. Marie and Doug did it right when they raised Greg. He was one of the nicest boys we have ever met. Our son is a better person for having known him. We loved to watch him play football at Judge, he was so exciting. But more important than that he was a great kid, always so happy to see you, always the big smile. He will be so missed by all his friends at Judge and most especially by the 23 other graduated seniors. They are a special group of kids who now share this emotional bond. Our hopes is that they will remain friends forever and keep Greg's memory alive. We will miss him dearly.
-- Love and prayers, Debbie & Joe Murray

I would like to send my condolences to the family and friends of Greg. Greg was a great quarterback and a stand-up guy. I had the great previlege of getting to know him during our time on the All-City team. He was an excellent leader and had a great sense of humor. My prayers are with him and his family.
-- Tony Alosi (Roman)

THE time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

I just wanted to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the Hennigar family at this time. I am a teammate of Sean Hennigar's up at Lycoming College, and Greg would come up a few times on the weekends. We knew each other, but not well. He knew me from this site, and I knew him for bringing the Father Judge Football team back to the top of the Catholics League. I spent a Friday Night with him and I can truly say, after only a few hours, he was one of the funniest and most enjoyable kids I have ever been around. Greg was truly an inspiration to all those who set goals and worked their hardest to achieve those goals, their aren't many people like him. He was truly a rare and gifted human being.
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn for men who have died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
(Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.)
--- Michael P. Kozak (Bonner '02)

I would like to send my deepest condolences to the Hennigar family. I've never stepped foot on the field with Greg, but i had many classes with him over my four years at Judge. Greg was also the Quarterback in the classroom. A class with Greg was a relief in anyone's roster, because it was a period full of comedy. Whether he was doing impressions or telling jokes, he made everyone leave a class feeling good and laughing with a smile on their face. The epitome of a great guy, Greg was kind and friendly to every single person who crossed his path. A superstar athlete, and if possible, an even greater guy. You will be forever missed, and never forgotten.
-- Love, Ray Quigley

I just wanted to write a quick note to say that we Judge graduates have a "thing"about what a Judge guy is and that young Mr.Hennigar(oh God so young)was indeed a perfect exemplar of that Judge guy thing.He now joins our 27 and all those other fallen Crusaders.May God hold him in his arms and may He grant his family comfort.
-- anonymous

i have known greg since grade school at st. dom's. and although he was closer with my younger brothers, i always considered him a good friend! beside him bein one of the best football players i have known, he might have been the nicest most generous person i have ever known! and in all the years i have known him i never heard of him havin one enemy, one person not liking him, or him even bein in one fight! we could all learn alot from greg's life on and off the feild! the whole community is better for havin known him, and in my opinion the world is a better place for havin him! he'll always be with us and he will never be forgotten!
-- George Wacker

As we filtered through the crowd under the stands at Beaver Stadium during this years Blue/White game, we realized that finding Greg would not be an easy task. The Penn State players were signing autographs under the stands this year rather than on the field due to the rain. Making our way around people, I could see that red hair in the distance. As we approached him, he was surrounded by people and was signing his name to anything that was put in front of him. We waited and as he looked up, we were greeted with the broadest smile you could imagine. Smiles, hugs, and an appreciative and welcoming warmth were always obvious when we saw Greg. And always, his next question was, "How is John doing, is he here, how's rugby going" . We have known Greg for five years and were of the privaleged few of friends and family who saw him run out of that Beaver Stadium tunnel and could talk with him shortly after that game last year and ask "how did it feel"
We will always remember Greg not for his football exploits but for the content of his character, his work ethic, his loyalty to family and friends, his humor and the way in which he invited us into his life and shared in our life as well. We will miss Greg, but thank God every day for having known him.
-- THE GAYNORS

Even though i go to roman catholic, i live in mayfair, and mostly all of my friends are from judge seeing them go through so much pain over gregs passing is heart wrenching, its almost unbearable to take, seeing how much greg touched there lives is a thing of beauty. He was a helluva guy friend, and athlete. May you rest in peace greg you will never be forgotten. Stay strong fellas.
-- Tommy Sugden Roman FB

I am a freshman football player at judge and to be honest i did not no Greg very well, but many friends of mine were close with him. Every one of them have nothing but good things to say about him. It would be easy to talk about how great a football player Greg was, but what he will be remembered for most is what a great guy he was. I would also like to send my condolences to Greg's family. We lost a great quarter back, but we all lost an even better friend.

This is truly a sad time for everybody because a great freind, teamate and person has been lost. Greg Hennigar was a great person who brought happiness to everyone around him with either his great sense of humor or his kindness. Greg was everything Father Judge teaches us to be and lived it in his life. Words can not express the love his teamates, freinds and community had for him. He was definetly one of the funniest guys I have ever known with all of his faces, impersonations and those strange noises during stretches. He was someone who I looked up to and someone we could all take a lesson from on how to live life. Greg you will always be remembered and loved.
-- PJ Brennan #77 Class of 2003

Greg Hennigar was a former co-captain of I during the 2001 season. He was a junior, and for a junior to be a captain says a whole lot about what kind of player and person he was. I played football with Sean Hennigar for Torresdale Boys Club, therefor thats how i knew greg and his parents. I would like to comment on the increddible job that Greg's parents have done on raising Greg. Greg was the kind of young man that we all want to be like. All though Greg made a HUGE impact on Father Judge, he also made an impact on Penn State University as just a freshman. It was an honor to play ball with Greg and Sean, and to have known his great family. I still can't beleive the young man who handed me the ball off 100's of times has passed on to heaven. The only logical reason that i can think of for such a lost is that Greg was too good for earth and therefor he was rewarded with Heaven. One Love Greg #12...
-- Joe Brzycki - 2001

I would like to give my deepest condlences to the family of a fellow catholic
red devision player and a fellow college football player even though I dont
know the family my heart goes out to you.
-- Ed Smith #70 Roman Catholic (02)

I was fortunate as an official in the Catholic League to have met and spoken to Greg on several occasions. He displayed maturity and leadership on and off the field. It was eas to see why he had been chosen as a capain of he Father Judge fooball team. He once spoke to me on the sideline following his injury in his senior year. He spoke about the current game and how he had hopes of getting back to play against Lincoln on Thanksgiving. Even while injured he maintained his interest and sense of humor. I was very impressed with this young man. He had earned the respect of my fellow officials, and on heir behalf I offer our condolences. He was a fine young man and an outstanding football player.
-- Frank Dunn

Greg was a great guy who I loved very dearly. I don't know anyone who didnt like him. Even though I was just the mascot, he treated me just like one of the guys. I didn't know him for very long. Only for about a year, but I was glad that I got to know him. He was a great friend and I will never forget him. #12 FOREVER!!!
-----Dominic Mallon

Hi, my name is James Smith. I am going to be a Senior at Roman Catholic this upcoming year. My condolences go out to the family of Greg Hennigar. I did not know him, but my cousin and her boyfriend were good friends of his. Whenever they talked of him, they always had good things to say about him and after hearing what they had to say about him, I wished I would have known him. Lets not remember him by the great football player he was, but by the great person he was. I will keep him and his family in my prayers. He will never be forgotten.
-- JS

Greg...seriously, I don't know where to begin, we met in high school but i felt like i knew you forever. I think about you everyday buddy! I know I will see you again someday. You were my classmate, my right hand man at Judge, my friend but seriously more like a brother. I anxiously waited to see you when you got back from your first year at Penn State, and now I wait to see you again in heaven. We shared many of good times in and out of school. You will be in my thoughts words and actions everyday of my life but more importantly you will be in my heart.
I Love You Greg, SIncerely,
-- Michael J. Bauer (vice pres. FJ Class of '02) or as you would have it"Bowski Style"

Marie, Doug and Sean,
Just read the Daily News today about Ricky Lannetti. I know today will be hard with the pictures in the paper. We think of you guys always. I see Greg every day in his cousin Steve. He walks through the cafeteria he looks just like Greg. He is just as polite and friendly too. Whenever I see Steve and he smiles at me, I see Greg in his smiling eyes. Hope to see you guys soon. Take care.
-- Love, Debbie Murray

There was nothing wrong with the schools and football programs on Greg Hennigar's original list of possible college destinations.
But everything is right with where he's winding up.
"I've wanted to go there since I was 5 years old," he said.
"There" is Penn State.
Hennigar, a 6-3, 200-pound quarterback from Father Judge High, has agreed to join the Nittany Lions as a preferred walk-on. How everything fell into place is rather amazing.
Hennigar attended Penn State's football camp after his freshman and sophomore seasons. But after his junior season, he was told the Nittany Lions had enough quarterbacks on scholarship and would not be recruiting at that position.
In December, on a whim, Hennigar sent Penn State a tape from his senior season. Included were overall highlights and full games vs. Neshaminy and West Catholic.
"They called and said they liked it," Hennigar said. "But I sure didn't expect them to come to see me at school. When [assistant coach Ron Vanderlinden] was down here recruiting, he stopped in at Judge. But that was a day when I was visiting Lycoming."
Talks took place later. Soon, Hennigar was being encouraged to join the team as a walk-on. Not only that, he was traveling to State College with his parents, Doug and Marie, to watch a practice, check out the facilities, meet Joe Paterno, etc.
"I got to sit in on a film session for the quarterbacks," Hennigar said. "It was me and three other guys. I got a chance to start picking up on their terminology.
"This happened because Matt Senneca told them [in mid-January] that he wouldn't be coming back for a fifth year. They wanted to have another quarterback. They said they'll redshirt me the first year to give me some spacing [from the other QBs]. I'll have to pay the first year with financial aid and loans, it won't be too bad - and whether I get a scholarship after that will depend on how well I prove myself. That's all I want, a chance."
Hennigar originally had his list down to Mansfield, Kutztown and Ursinus in addition to Lycoming.
"I couldn't make a decision, which turned out to be good," he said.
Hennigar spent two seasons, both cut short by injury, as Judge's QB starter. In 15 games, he passed 149-for-297 for 1,879 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Greg Hennigar wants to ride football as far as it will take him. But if his final stop does not turn out to be the NFL . . .
"I'll just be on ESPN," he said.
Hennigar laughed when he said that, but he's serious about wanting to major in communications in college and become a broadcaster. And, little by little, he's showing the necessary personality.
Hennigar, a 6-3, 200-pound senior, is a promising quarterback at Father Judge High.
Last night, he passed 9-for-14 for 93 yards and a touchdown as the Crusaders clipped visiting Cardinal O'Hara, the defending champion, 21-14, in an entertaining Catholic Red opener.
Down the stretch, all Hennigar could do was watch as O'Hara, which received a 31-carry, 238-yard, two-TD outburst from sophomore Anthony Heygood, marched relentlessly downfield in an attempt to erase the deficit.
Check that. That wasn't all he could do.
"I got pretty excited just standing on the sideline," he said. "You want to be the quarterback given that kind of opportunity, in a 2-minute drill, but their guy [Colin Smith] was out there. I was watching him a little, trying to see how he did things, but mostly I was trying to get our crowd pumped up. I was turning toward the stands and waving. That's not really my style, but . . . I surprised myself."
O'Hara's hopes vanished when star receiver Harry Dougherty, who made a series of tough catches, fumbled at the 5 after a 14-yard reception. Jim McAteer (eight tackles) made the hit, Chris Bilotta the recovery. Just 17 seconds remained.
"We could see it from the sideline," Hennigar said. "The ball popped loose and [Bilotta] recovered out in the open."
Judge played for the second time without star rusher Justin O'Brien (broken wrist) and saw star linebacker Tom Lynch sidelined by an ankle injury that probably is not serious.
Hennigar, unfortunately, could relate. He broke his collarbone in Game No. 7 last season, when tackled from behind at ankle level, and was unavailable thereafter.
"When you just want to be out there and play," he said, "not being able to is worse than anything you can think of. After the injury, I just worked on getting back to normal and trying to do nice things this year."
Hennigar, who lives near Judge, sports a 3.5 grade-point average. He is receiving contact from colleges on all levels - "Iowa sent my dad [Doug] a Father's Day card," he said in amazement - and coach Tommy Coyle is trying to spread the word further.
"Considering I haven't done much yet to deserve [being pursued], it feels funny," Hennigar said. "I'm concentrating on the season and doing nice things with my teammates. I'll worry later about the rest."