Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame to Honor Henry
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame has named Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry its 2021 Tennessean of the Year for his performance during the 2020 NFL season as well as his off-the-field endeavors.
The award is the highest of the TSHOF’s annual honors and tops the one Henry received a year ago. In 2020, he was the Male Pro Athlete of the Year.
The Tennessean of the Year was first awarded in 1982 and recognizes “an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to our society through sports or other methods, demonstrating strong character and high-profile leadership.” Previous winners include Dolly Parton (2020), Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk (2019) and Peyton Manning (1998, 2016).
Additionally, the Titans were named Professional Team of the Year after they went 11-5 and won the AFC South for the first time since 2008.
Henry became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season when he ran for 2,027 yards, the fifth-highest total ever, capped by a career-high 250-yard performance against the Houston Texans. He was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, selected to his second Pro Bowl and became the fifth player all-time – the first in more than 50 years – to lead the league in rushing yards, carries and rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons.
Off the field, he has been a consistent advocate in support of children’s charities and made “significant contributions” to local relief efforts for COVID-19 relief and recovery from a tornado hit Middle Tennessee in March 2020.
Henry and the team will be honored at the Hall’s annual awards festivities, which will include the induction of this year’s 11-member Hall of Fame class that includes Titans play-by-play voice Mike Keith. Those events will take place the weekend of June 26.
