Ensights Magazine

Henry Byrd '18

Alumni Profile: Henry Byrd '18

Tiffany Townsend, Director of Marketing & Communications
At Princeton, Henry Byrd ’18 quickly made a name for himself with his fancy footwork on the football field. His technique and prowess earned him playing time his freshman year, and he was the recipient of the Donold B. Lourie Award as the top offensive freshman.
He was a starter on the team that led Princeton to its first perfect season in 54 years, playing in all ten games. Henry finished his college career as a team captain, described by coaches as a “rock” for the program and noted by Princeton Head Coach Bob Surace as one of the best linemen he had seen in his time at Princeton.
 
However, Byrd is also known for his footwork in another arena: the dance studio. At Ensworth, he got involved with the Dance for Athletes classes and fell in love with the program. In the process of taking every Dance for Athletes class he could, he discovered that he really enjoyed tap dancing. “My senior year, Mrs. White created a new course, Dance by Design, that was extended to a lot of the students in Dance Company, and it was a bit more structured and experimental,” Henry shares. “I approached Mrs. White about doing a special tap routine for the big performance in the spring, and we came up with ‘Singing in the Rain.’ All of the senior dancers would come in early mornings and late nights to design it and block it out.”
 
In a recent article, Henry credited the dance classes for helping him develop his speed and agility on the field, saying, “it helped with my balance; it helped with my mobility. It’s just coordination, feeling your body, and constantly working the same thing repetitively. Teaching your feet how to move correctly is huge. So much of playing offensive line is foot speed, the angle of your set, how you position your feet under your body.” Henry laughs as he shares, “Tap dance is actually one of the few personal things listed on my football bio.”
Henry performing in Singing in the Rain
Byrd initially chose Princeton because of its similarity to Ensworth, noting that it felt like a continuation of the Ensworth experience, with comparable approaches in both academics and football. He was drawn to the familial team environment, where there was a focus not only on performance on the field but on getting to know each other as individuals and having an understanding of a common goal. “It was very important to me that it was about more than just playing football. It was about academics, arts, sports, being the best at everything you can be, and having the space to figure out who you are and who you want to be.” He also credits the Harkness method at Ensworth for preparing him to succeed at Princeton, where there was a premium on being creative, thinking critically, and engaging in discussion-based classes. 
 
Henry chose to major in History at Princeton, and he references his Ensworth teachers as the primary influence and inspiration for his path. “I actually wrote about Dr. Mason in my history departmental review as the reason I chose to study history. It was Dr. Mason and Mr. Hopkins who fostered my love for the subject and for studying how the world interacts with everything around it. And at the High School, I would choose classes just so I could be in Ms. Hubert’s class.” Byrd also mentions Jason Maxwell as a significant influence: “He’s been with me every step of my academic career. He taught me how to read in first grade, and then he was my sixth grade advisor. At the High School, I got to see him almost every day, and he was someone I could always go talk to.”
 
Currently, Henry is in training for NFL tryouts, taking his shot to pursue his football career further. He also sees a future for himself in sports media and broadcasting, and Ensworth fans may have recognized his voice calling some of the recent home football and basketball games. 
 
Henry shares his advice for current Ensworth students, “Make the most of your time at Ensworth. There really isn’t any other place like this that lets you try so many different things and actively encourages it and supports it. Getting out into the world and meeting a lot more people, you realize how unique and special it is in that aspect.”
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