Adam Henry has served as the Bills wide receivers coach for two seasons. In those two short years, Henry has become one of the go-to coaches when players have questions. Not just football questions, anything-under-the-sun type of questions.
He's known by his wide receivers room as a "human encyclopedia."
"You can ask him about anything," Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir said. "He's the type of coach and guy that's always doing anything he can to be smarter in every aspect of life."
"I got a lot of useless knowledge in this brain," Henry said. "I just read a lot and pick up on things. I don't like TV much. I love to learn."
His players don't think it's useless. They find it fascinating.
"He'll start talking to me about some things, and I'm like, 'I have no idea. I'm lost,'" Shakir said of his coach. "That's the best thing about having him as a coach is he teaches us so much."
The first in the family to chase a doctorate
The appetite to never stop learning led Henry to do something that's never been done in his family.
"I said, you know what? I'd probably be the first one in my family to get a doctorate degree," Henry shared.
The decision to get a doctoral degree wasn't made on a whim. It was in the back of Henry's head for years. It started with his bachelor's degree, which Henry pursued after he finished playing for the Saints in 1996. A bachelor's degree turned into a master's degree five years later in 2001.
"I always thought about it," Henry said of pursuing a doctoral degree. "And then 19 years later, in 2020 we're going through COVID. All these things are happening. I thought, what is one thing you always said you want to do that's on a bucket list?"
Henry did his homework and chose Fayetteville State University, an HBCU, as the school to get his Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a concentration in higher education. The degree focuses on developing leaders who can improve educational practices, adapt to changing educational needs and advance the field of higher education.
"I had never gone to a HBCU," Henry said of why he chose Fayetteville State. "So for me, it was the first chance at making that happen…it was a no brainer."
Coach Henry to Dr. Henry
Henry was a few years into his schooling when became Buffalo's wide receivers coach in 2023. Once Bills players learned of their coach's extracurricular activities, they also thought it was a no-brainer.
"It doesn't surprise me at all," Shakir said of his coach getting an educational doctorate. "He's super smart."
"What? You are smart! I don't even have one degree, but you have three," Henry said laughing while replaying how his players reacted to finding out. "Everyone has been so supportive and appreciative, so it's been a great thing."
Their response to finding out an NFL coach is pursuing a doctorate degree is not out of line. The life of an NFL coach is incredibly demanding. Coaches practically live at the facility during the season because most of your time goes into coaching your players and getting them ready for the next game on the schedule. There are few hours to yourself, let alone studying for a doctoral degree while being a husband and father to three kids.
Henry didn't think about the long days and nights before diving in because achieving the goal he set for himself is most important.
"I think you always should set goals for yourself and meet them," Henry said. "I'm not a person that just kind of sits around and does nothing…I take that from my parents growing up…two things my parents wanted, you're going to get a Catholic education and you're going to play sports…for me, it was just being in that situation, always being a learner."
How Henry's parents motivated him to cross the finish line
Henry's parents, Mildred and Frank, motivated him not just to start the process of getting a doctorate's degree but seeing it all the way through. They also served as motivation when Henry faced adversity in the middle of the program.
"I was in class, and I get a call that my mom passed while I was doing a presentation," Henry said. "…They were getting older. My dad was dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia, but it took my mother first. They were together for around 63 years."
Henry was devastated by the news. He questioned if he even wanted to finish the program after both parents passed away within the same year.
"My mom always wanted me to finish stuff," Henry shared. "She always said, 'If you start something, you finish. If you play sports, you're going to be on this team. I don't care if you don't play again, but you're going to play till the season ends.' For me, it was just a reminder of that."
His family also reminded him that the Adam Henry they know doesn't quit on anything.
"You've never not done anything that you put your mind to," Henry said of what his children and wife told him. "So, it was conversations with my wife and my children, especially the young one. She said, 'You need to finish.' So that was helpful. I kept going with it."
Losing his parents led Henry to start a scholarship program in their names because of how much they valued education and encouraged him to shoot for the stars.
The Henry Foundation aims to transform the lives of children through education, mentorship and support. They do this through mentorship programs, tutoring and academic support, scholarships and financial assistance, life skills and leadership workshops, community engagement and events.
In addition to his family, Henry said Dr. Noran L. Moffett, a professor at Fayetteville State, played a vital role in chairing his dissertation, which was about leadership development as it relates to current and former NFL players and coaches.
"Dr. Noran L. Moffett was so important throughout the process of my dissertation," Henry shared. "If it was not for his guidance and belief in me, I would have not had a great dissertation."
Being a better coach for his players
Henry walked the stage on Friday, May 9 at Fayetteville State to celebrate being the first to receive a doctorate in his family. His drive to never stop learning and always wanting to be the best version of himself has had an affect on his players.
"You can sit here and say that you want to learn about something, but putting it into action is another thing," Shakir said of his coach. "That's what Coach Henry does every single day. He's a prime example of showing us, if you want to accomplish something, you will make time for it if you care about it."
"I'm more of a servant leader," Henry said. "Transformational leadership, that's my big thing. And just understanding my players, trying to get the best out of them and reach them where they're at."
Henry's knack for becoming an expert in many things extends to the way he coaches. Because the WR coach wants to meet players where they're at, Henry has his players take personality tests, so he knows how to best coach them.
He takes the time out of the day to really get to know his players, and not just on a basic level." Shakir said. "He wants to dig into our personalities and how we react to things. He's going to know how to coach us based off those personality tests. He's great. I'm super grateful that he came here a couple years ago."
With the Dr. title added to his Bills bio this season, Henry wants to use his degree to be a better mentor and coach.
"It's the leadership part of it, being able to get the best out of young men and being able to help them, not just on the field but off the field."
He plans to celebrate the accomplishment with his family because he's not the only Henry graduating this year.
"It's a monumental thing but I have two graduations soon," Henry said. "I have my two daughters who are graduating. We a high school and a college degree to celebrate."
As Henry checks a doctorate's degree off the bucket list, he will move to the next item.
"Next, I want to fly planes," Henry said. "I want to get my pilot's license. So, it's like, what's next? As a coach, you win the football game and then it's on to the next."
Henry has many titles. He's a husband, a father, a coach, a scholar, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, a world traveler, a reader and now, after five years of hard work, a doctor.
