The Utah County wrestling community was both saddened and shocked by the sudden death of Darold Henry this past weekend.

Henry was 79 years-old and appeared in good health when he made public appearances at the Uintah Tournament of Champions and at a local Pleasant Grove basketball game where his grandson Peyton Henry was recognized for his exemplary baseball accomplishments including this past season making it all the way to major league level.

Henry was the architect of the Pleasant Grove wrestling dynasty which has now won 22 state titles in the sport, fourth most of any school in state history.

Henry won eight titles in a coaching career that spanned three decades winning the school’s first state title in 1971. Henry followed that up with titles in 1972 and 1974. The state title in 1972 was the last title won in the “A” division when Utah had just two classifications. Henry also won state titles in 1986, 1989, and 1991 through 1993 before handing the reins off to one of his former wrestlers, Tom Phelon, who won four more titles in a row from 1994 to 1997.

Three of Henry’s state titles were incredibly climatic.

For his first state title in 1971, Pleasant Grove built a good lead over runner-up Brighton when Mark Sanderson won the 126-pound state title. Brighton made a big run, crowning three state champs in the heavier weights, but the Bengals still fell a point short.

In 1989, going into the final bout of the 3A state tournament, Pleasant Grove trailed Uintah and Sky View (which was then coached by Utah Valley head coach Greg Williams) by two points.

But at heavyweight, Viking Robbie Jones pinned Jordan’s Curtis Myrick in an upset and with that win by pin it vaulted the Pleasant Grove to the state title by four points.

Those in attendance will never forget Henry jumping into the arms of his heavyweight in the center of the mat in triumphant victory.

Then in 1991, Pleasant Grove tied Layton for the 4A state championship. It was the first time in state history two programs had tied for the state title. Layton held an eight-point lead at one point in the championship finals, but when current Viking head coach Brock Moore won the 152-pound title, the second of two Viking state champions that included Rangi Smart, it knotted the team score at 117 points. Then Henry and the Pleasant Grove faithful had to wait to see Layton’s last chance effort for an outright team title fall short when their heavyweight grappler lost.

Moore said this simply about the loss of his former coach and mentor.

“He was a Pleasant Grove icon and touched so many lives,” Moore said. “He’s done so many amazing things for the church community and students of Pleasant Grove High and the city will not be the same without him. It was an honor to know him.”

Henry’s teams were remarkably consistent.

Besides those eight state title teams, Pleasant Grove finished second seven other times, third three times and never was outside the top ten in Henry’s tenure. He also coached 65 individual state champions.

But Henry’s reach far exceeded what he did as a coach. His coaching tree is prolific and still very much shapes the Utah and Utah County landscape.

Two of his former wrestlers in Moore and Steve Sanderson have created their own dynastic runs, even surpassing Henry in state titles as each has won ten championships. Two other area head coaches in the Spencer brothers, Eric (American Fork) and Kip (Spanish Fork), wrestled at Pleasant Grove and in the youth programs created by Henry and Sanderson’s father Norm.

“He was an amazing man,” Eric Spencer said. “I remember going into his home as a sophomore before the state tournament. We went into his basement. It was his version of a man cave. It was like a mini hall of fame museum. He had so many great accomplishments as an athlete, coach, referee-in sports like boxing, wrestling, track and field, football, golf, tennis, even basketball.”

Spencer also remembers that wherever Henry went he would pick up trash, and that he was all about service.

Others in Henry’s coaching tree include Cole Kelley, who led Orem to a runner-up finish in 2000 and now runs big wrestling events like the Rockwell Rumble and Salt Lake Slam, wrestled for Henry and was a member of two state title teams. Kelley also gave his introductory speech when Henry was inducted in the Utah Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a coach. Henry is also recognized by the Hall as an official.

“Coach Henry was tough and intense, but as an athlete competing on his team, I always knew he came from a place of love,” Kelley said. “There was never a wind sprint I ran or a butt-chewing I took that was not intended on making me a better wrestler, athlete and person.”

Henry’s influences are also felt in far off places coaching like Rangi Smart in California or David Swenson, who led the successful Sky View wrestling program of the 1990s and early 2000s for many years before becoming a head principal at the school. His influences on the lives he touched directly, or through others he mentored, is really immeasurable.

Henry coached an incredible number of stalwart wrestlers including his son Darrin, who won two state titles but couldn’t go for a third his senior year because of a knee injury suffered in football. For Darrin Henry, wrestling wasn’t his favorite sport but rather baseball, and he has led Pleasant Grove to two state titles following in the championship level footsteps of his father.

But besides coaching, Henry was an outstanding official blowing the whistle for nearly 40 years at the high school and college level. Henry worked 25 NCAA Division I championships and mentored hundreds of officials.

One of those was Jared Summerill, who graduated from Pleasant Grove in 1999 and was coached in his youth days by Henry. Summerill serves as a chief evaluator of high school wrestling officials and actually spoke with Henry last Wednesday as he sought out advice on what advice he should give to young officials who were going to be working the upcoming divisionals for the very first time.

“I remember when I broke into officiating and I was struggling a bit,” Summerill said. “He told me, ‘just relax, you’re not going to be perfect but you’ll be good in time.'”

This is similar advice Summerill passes on to the younger officials today. Summerill said Henry’s impact on the sport was large but it didn’t depend on your ability, but your effort.

“He didn’t expect you to be a state champion, but just to try,” Summerill said. “He was so loving, so caring. He gave so much back to the sport and his community.”

Henry came out of coaching retirement in 1997 to lead the Lone Peak wrestling program in its inaugural season, where he turned the reins over to Lyle Mangum the next season.

“Darold (Henry) is one of the greatest ambassadors for the sport of wrestling we’ll ever have,” Mangum said. “From the ground floor of teaching the youth to being a record-breaking coach and national level referee, he exuded excellence.”

Henry also served as athletic director at both Pleasant Grove and Lone Peak, and is also known to many in the community as a driver education instructor. And he didn’t just coach wrestling as he also coached football, golf, and track and field.

It’s in these other roles he also influenced others like Deanna Meyer, who led Lone Peak to five volleyball state titles and then won another at Skyridge. Meyer is actually the daughter of Dennis Preece, the head wrestling coach of Uintah in the 1970s, who was Pleasant Grove’s chief rival early in Henry’s coaching career. But behind their rivalry was a friendship that extended to their children.

“Coach Henry was my A.D. (athletic director) when I was hired at Lone Peak,” Meyer said. “He was very supportive and positive. When I won my first (state) title at Lone Peak, they did an assembly and they wanted someone to talk and ask if I had anyone I wanted. I said my dad (who passed away in 1997) would have been my first choice, but Darold knew my dad for a long time and he would know what my dad would want to say.”

Henry’s conversion to the Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints led him to come to Utah and wrestle for BYU. He continued his steadfast service as both bishop and stake president in his later years where again his positive outlook touched lives.

Henry is survived by his wife of 56 years Belva, his two sons Chad and Darrin, along with his younger brother Chuck, who coached wrestling at Payson and Uintah winning three state titles for the Utes. He was preceded in death by his son Tony and twin brother Harold.

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