North Central College Athletics

Dr. Harold W. Henning is one of the most famous names in the annals of North Central College swimming as well as international swimming.

Henning was a member of the "Lockport trio" during his last season, which was composed of himself, Pete Enzinna and Joe Sciuto. The trio was disbanded after Henning had graduated and relocated to Roseville, where he instructed athletics at Roseville High School and spent his spare time as a swim coach for the Monmouth College swim team. Enzinna and Sciuto stuck around for another season as their coach had hoped to rebuild another champion team.

When Henning was a member of the famed trio, he was a part of the 150 yard medley relay team that entered eight of ten dual meets. Out of these eight meets, the relay team took first place in six of their heats. In addition, the trio set a new North Central team record when they swam the event in 1:27.4, sheering off a slim-but-notable .5 of a second from their previous time and old record. Individually, Henning won three events and scored 16 points for his team. 

As a student, he achieved All-American status in the freestyle and backstroke and established records in virtually every event. After completing his collegiate career undefeated in dual-meet competition, he qualified for the 1940 United States Olympic squad, only to have the games canceled that year. Upon graduating from North Central, he served in the U.S. Navy and, in 1949, received a dental degree from Loyola University and opened a practice in Naperville with which he was still associated at the time of his death in May 1988.

As a coach at North Central, he developed two world-class swimmers, one an Olympic gold medalist. He coached the Cardinals to 11 consecutive conference titles. Henning's later leadership as president of the World Swimming Federation helped promote and protect swimming, diving and water polo throughout the world. He also served as Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Committee from 1959 to 1965 and Chairman of the Central Association of the Amateur Athletic Union for 19 years.

In 2002, his wife, Jean Oliver Henning, Class of 1941, established the Dr. Harold W. Henning Scholarship Fund at North Central for pre-medicine students.