Profile: Thom Henson And Jim Noble

One makes his living primarily in fundraising and development and took up radio on something of a lark. The other has enjoyed a lengthy career in sports broadcasting, but stepped out of his comfort zone to become a play-by-play man.

Together, covering Wofford’s football and men’s basketball teams, Thom Henson and Jim Noble have developed their own kind of teamwork over the past several years. “We’re trying to paint a picture, give listeners a feel for what’s going on,” Noble said.

Henson added, “It’s all about not stepping on each other’s lines, establishing a good flow. I think we’ve meshed pretty well.”

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Noble is in his third year with Wofford athletics. He replaced Mark Hauser, a popular fixture among Wofford fans who left after the 2017-2018 season.

A Charlotte resident, Noble brings extensive experience in TV sports journalism, including ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR.

He said the transition to full-time play-by-play work – as well as production and engineering duties – “has been a learning experience.”

It’s also been a fun ride. In his first two years with Wofford, Noble was part of some thrilling moments and historic successes – two Southern Conference championships in football, one in basketball. He called the Terriers’ first-ever NCAA Tournament win, the same game Fletcher Magee set the nation’s all-time three-point shooting record.

“People kept telling me, ‘It’s not always going to be like this,’” he said.

Indeed, things came back to earth for Terrier basketball last year. Following the departure of former head coach Mike Young, along with heavy personnel losses, the Wofford team finished 19-16 in the 2019-2020 season. The team struggled through a seven-game losing streak late in the regular season.

Still, there were memorable high points, including an exciting three-win run in the Southern Conference tournament and the win against UNC in historic Carmichael Auditorium. “I had never been in Carmichael,” Noble said. “I’d watched games there on TV a million times, but had never gone in person. Winning the game there was an incredible experience.”

Noble says he was impressed with the culture of the Wofford program from the start. “I’ve covered a lot of colleges and pro teams, and there’s something special about Wofford.”

He credits the foundation put in place by Young and believes Jay McAuley, now in his second year, and his staff “have kept it going.”

Even during the losing streak last season, Noble said, there noteworthy positives. From his up-close view, “I never got the sense that (the players) had packed it in. I think they got a little demoralized, but you knew they were fighting. I think that’s a credit to Jay and his assistants.”

An important part of the Wofford culture is the kind of student-athletes the coaches recruit – good students who work hard and care about the way they represent the program and the college. Beyond the action of the games, Noble has enjoyed getting to know the players on a personal level.

“Some of the most fun for me has been traveling with the team,” he said. “It’s given me the opportunity to know the kids and their families better and to get an idea of the demands on their time academically – that has been a real eye-opener.”

Noble has also enjoyed getting to work with his radio partner, Henson. “Thom has been the single best thing about doing this job,” Noble said.

“He brings an important historical perspective – he can refer to a game that happened in 2003 – and he has a connection with college and the alumni.”

Noble added: “Thom is better than some radio professionals who do this full-time.”

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As a student at Wofford, Henson worked in the athletic office for then-SID Mark Cohen. When he returned to the college to work in admissions, Cohen approached him about pitching in on radio broadcasts. A Wofford sports enthusiast, Henson thought it sounded like a fun side gig, so he gave it a go.

His first game on the radio was a Terrier basketball game against Clemson in 1999 (he had previously worked an Internet-only webcast for a game against USC).

Wofford upset the Tigers, and coach Richard Johnson, now the AD, “slapped me on the back and said, ‘You just signed lifetime contract!’”

Henson has been part of many memorable games since. Wofford’s Southern Conference basketball championships come to mind, of course. As does Fletcher Magee’s freshman debut, when he scored 22 points and made five three-pointers against Missouri. Henson recalls thinking “there’s something special” about the shooting guard out of Florida.

Historic football moments loom large, of course, including key milestones in all-time rushing leader Eric Breitenstein’s career as well as big upsets – especially the 2007 playoff win in Montana.

Henson said his most dramatic experience on radio wasn’t a touchdown run or game-winning three-point basket – it was a frightening medical situation involving linebacker Michael Roach, who collapsed on the sideline at Tennessee Tech. It was the first game of the 2016 season. He’d just come off the field, began feeling lightheaded, and suffered cardiac arrest. Trainers saved his life with CPR and the use of an AED.

“We could see what was going on,” Henson recalled. “It almost felt like seeing a bad scene in a movie.”

Henson was working with Mark Hauser then, and the two broadcasters remained mostly quiet as the situation played out. Henson and Hauser considered that the player’s parents might have been listening, unaware that their son’s life was in danger. They wanted to be careful and “to treat it in a solemn and serious way.”

By the time Henson started with the radio team, Wofford football had become established as a solid Southern Conference competitor – and Coach Mike Ayers’ program was clearly on the way up.

Basketball was a different matter.

Mike Young took over in 2002 after Johnson became the AD. Johnson had recruited a number of really good players, and his teams played hard. Still, the program was a ways away from challenging for a Southern Conference title when Young was promoted to head coach.

It was 2009, Young’s seventh season, before one of his teams had a winning record (though they did manage to go .500 in 2005 and 2008). During several seasons, key players had season-ending injuries. Henson pointed out the loss of guard Justin Stephens, a truly top-tier SoCon talent whose knee injury early in his sophomore season kept him out the rest of that season. He never returned to full form, and a second injury to the knee forced him to give up the sport.

Meanwhile, Young had limited staffing resources, and the team’s home arena – the beloved-by-us-fans BenJo – provided a solid, and sometimes raucous, home court advantage, but it wasn’t exactly a showplace for recruits.

There were highs and lows – including some ugly losses. Henson says he and Hauser would feel out the post-game vibe after a tough loss, and the Q and A with the coach might be kept brief.

“I always thought Mike clearly knew what he was doing,” Henson said. “I didn’t know if we had the resources to be successful.”

We all know, of course, that Henson’s confidence in Young’s potential proved correct. The program turned the corner in magnificent fashion, with support from up-and-upcoming assistants (including a young Jay McAuley) and, of course, an influx of talent, led by all-time great Noah Dahlman.

“Once that fuse was lit, it became a full-blown fire,” Henson said. “And now we have great facilities and stronger resources, overall.”

Henson, too, has been impressed by the job McAuley and his staff have done so far. “Jay’s a little different from Mike, and he’s put his own stamp on things,” Henson remarked. “But I think Jay’s doing a great job.”

There’s been a lot of talk about this year’s group of newcomers, and Henson believes it’s not just hype. “We’ve got some guys who are good – these freshmen are ones who could bring a championship eventually,” he said, adding, “And they’re good people, good kids. They’re glad to be at Wofford and are appreciative. What more can you ask more?”

Helping cover Wofford sports, on top of his regular job, has been quite a commitment of Henson’s time. He can sometimes schedule work meetings – visits with alumni or parents – to coincide with road trips. Other times, it’s just a juggling act he makes work, in large part, because “my family has been supportive.”

Henson said his son, Michael, a senior at Spartanburg High School, plans to attend Wofford and has gotten interested in the coaching profession. He’d like to pursue a role as a student manager. “I don’t know if he would have had that interest if I hadn’t been doing this,” Henson said. “It’s given him a chance to be around the players and assistant coaches over the years. Seeing those guys being successful has inspired him. That’s really neat.”