The Voice Behind The Plays: Jim Henderson

New Orleans Saints' radio playcaller Jim Henderson has been called the best play-by-play man in the NFL. Henderson started his career by reporting on Little League games in his hometown of Rochester, New York. Soon after receiving his bachelor's degree in English from the State University of New York, Henderson also to receive his Master's degree in Radio and Television from Syracuse University.

His first sports reporting job was as Sports Director for a station in Panama City, Florida, he then headed for Atlanta where he reported on sports for a station there. Henderson joined WWL TV on May 1, 1978 where he became the sportscaster.

He formely called the games with former Saints' quarterback Archie Manning but Manning stopped doing the broadcasts in 1997. Henderson then teamed up with the former Saints' fullback Hokie Gajan who he currently calls the games with now.

Henderson is know for getting a bit excited whenever the Saints make a particularly good play, one of his signature calls came when a St. Louis Rams player dropped a punt during a Saints' playoff game and the Saints went on to win the game (you can hear the call at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xtns7mTdhQ).

Henderson has screamed whenever the Saints won in the Superdome and nearly cried at other times, whenever the Saints weren't so lucky. He still hasn't had the privilege of calling a Super Bowl for the Saints, but hopefully his chance will come very soon.

Henderson is a 13 time winner of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association's Sportscaster of the Year Award, an award conferred by sports journalists from all over Louisiana.