In the late 90s and early 2000s, Wisconsin was known to be a run-heavy football team. Yet, the Badgers gave the NFL one of its best receivers at that time, in Lee Evans. Chris Chambers, who was a key member of the Miami Dolphins offense, also came from the same school. But this April, the man who was behind their success at Madison tragically breathed his last. Wisconsin football formally acknowledged the passing of veteran WR coach and famed recruiter, Henry Mason.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Henry Mason,” the program mentioned in an X post. “He was a staple of our program for nearly 30 years, as an assistant coach and liaison to NFL teams and high school coaches. A friend and mentor to so many, we’re grateful for our time with him, and our thoughts are with his family.”
Henry Mason worked at Wisconsin football for more than 20 years. He was one of the best WR coaches the program ever had, and was in charge of the Wisconsin wideouts from 1995 to 2006. In 2007, he suffered an injury to his spinal cord, which rendered him paralysed. He was forced to hang up his coaching whistle, but Wisconsin still kept him on. He worked with the Badgers as a top recruiter till his retirement in 2023. Wisconsin’s former coaches had nothing but praise in their memories of the departed coach.
“I didn’t know anyone who didn’t enjoy being around Henry,” former head coach and now Wisconsin’s Athletic Director, Barry Alvarez, told BadgerExtra’s Jim Polzin. “He was a gentleman. Players loved him. He coached them hard, but they really respected him. I really enjoyed him and loved him as a person and loved having him on the staff.”
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Henry Mason. He was a staple of our program for nearly 30 years, as an assistant coach and liaison to NFL teams and high school coaches.
A friend and mentor to so many, we’re grateful for our time with him and our thoughts are… pic.twitter.com/JmBRwLPYER
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) April 12, 2026
Under his guidance, Evans became Wisconsin’s all-time leading receiver in yardage, and was also picked in the first round of the 2004 draft. He eventually became an important threat in the deep for the Buffalo Bills, and remains one of the best franchise WRs of this decade. Mason also helped develop Wisconsin stars like Chris Chambers, Brandon Williams and Jonathan Orr.
Even though he had to move away from being on the gridiron, Henry Mason made it count by being in the front office. He was a key liaison between players looking to go pro, and NFL scouts. When he retired in 2023, 21 NFL scouts made the trip to a coffee shop in Madison to share a celebratory meal for the veteran coach and honor his contributions. Oklahoma Sooners GM, Jim Nagy, who was then the Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, was also present at that gathering, and called Henry “one of most well-liked & respected men in CFB among NFL scouting community.”
Henry’s passing will be a tough one for Wisconsin athletics and for everyone who was associated with the program. Former Wisconsin and now Illinois head coach, Bret Bielema, had a tough time sharing his thoughts on the late coach.
Henry Mason was the ‘glue’ that held everyone together: Bielema
Polzin wrote in his report that the Fighting Illini head coach was very emotional when asked to speak on Mason . Bret Bielema was part of the Badgers from 2003 to 2012, and was head coach of the team from 2005. This was the first time he had become a head coach in his career, and in this eventful journey, he had full support from Henry.
“Henry, just being the guy that he was, kind of extended his hand,” Bielema told Polzin of his initial days at Wisconsin. “He and I got extremely close… He just educated me on so much stuff that he had gone through with Barry.
“Henry was the guy who could keep everybody together. He was just the glue that kept it all together.”
To get Chambers and Evans into an offense that was run-heavy was one thing. But to also hone them into the program’s greatest receivers was yet another feat that is proof of how invaluable Henry Mason was to the team. Former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst told Polzin that the players absolutely loved him.
Wisconsin football had a fairly good time with Bielema in charge. And with Henry Mason looking after recruiting, the Badgers went on to win three back-to-back Big Ten Championships. Bielema recalled that it didn’t matter to Henry if the person in front of him came from money, or worked a normal job; he could relate to them all, which helped him build the most special relationships. That is what made him such a good recruiter. He will be deeply missed by the Wisconsin football community.
