Name:  Mark Henninger
Office Phone:  252.985.5179
E-mail:  mjhenninger@ncwc.edu

Mark Henninger was named the second head coach in North Carolina Wesleyan football history in February of 2008. In his first season at the helm of the program, he led the Battling Bishops to a 6-4 overall record, including a 5-2 mark in the USA South. Couple last year’s success with that of his four years as defensive coordinator and Henninger has already helped Wesleyan accumulate a 29-21 overall record and a 23-11 USA South mark since the program’s inception.

Henninger guided Wesleyan’s 2008 team to its third straight season with at least five USA South Conference victories. The 2008 season also saw the Battling Bishops earn their conference record 12th consecutive league victory, a streak that dated back to the 2006 season. The first-year head coach had 14 players garner All-Conference recognition, including a league-best eight First Team honorees and four All-Region selections. Additionally, Wesleyan produced a USA South Player of the Year for the fifth straight season.

As an assistant coach in 2007, Henninger played an instrumental role in the Bishops’ storybook season that saw Wesleyan became the first-ever undefeated conference champion with a 7-0 league record. The program also earned its first NCAA Tournament berth and playoff win in 2007, becoming the first #8 seed in history to knock off a #1 seed when the Bishops upset Washington and Jefferson by a 35-34 score in the first round.

In just five years of existence, the program has produced 56 All-Conference players, two Defensive Rookies of the Year, three Offensive Rookies of the Year, and two Offensive Players of the Year. As an assistant, Henninger helped take Wesleyan from unknown status to a spot in the Division National III Top-25, while as head coach, both of his preseason squads have earned #18 rankings by the publishers of Lindy’s 2009 College Football Preview.

A native of Indianapolis, IN, Henninger joined North Carolina Wesleyan in 2004 after a four-year assistant coaching stint at his alma mater, Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH. The winningest Division III football program in the nation, Wittenberg produced three NCAA Division III playoff appearances and a record of 41-7 during his tenure.

Prior to his time at Wittenberg, Henninger spent one year as a graduate assistant at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA coaching the secondary. Wartburg finished the season as conference champions, advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a record of 10-1.

In 1998, Henninger was an assistant coach with the Hamburg Blue Devils of Hamburg, Germany. The team finished with a 15-3-1 record and the European Championship. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Milikin University, a Division III school in Decatur IL.

Henninger received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Wittenberg University in 1996 and was a four-year letterwinner at safety for the Tigers. He and his wife, Jen, reside in Rocky Mount with their two children: son Jack and daughter Mary.