Four Fumble Recoveries, One Player: Henry's Historic Night

Published on October 29th, 2025 9:01 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Olin Henry didn't just make history. He owned the ball - literally - four separate times.

In a wild Friday night game between North Texas State and Henderson, defensive end Olin Henry recovered four fumbles, setting an NCAA single-game record that has stood for decades. The matchup took place on November 3, 1973, in Denton, Texas, and few could have predicted that a small-school defensive lineman would deliver one of the most absurd stat lines in college football history.

Henderson simply couldn't hang on to the ball. Wet field conditions contributed, but Henry's relentless pursuit made the difference. Each recovery flipped field position. By the fourth, fans in Fouts Field were laughing in disbelief - the same player kept diving on loose footballs like a magnet finding metal.

The North Texas defense fed off the chaos. Henderson quarterbacks were sacked repeatedly, and their backs couldn't get out of their own territory without coughing up the ball. Henry was everywhere - recovering fumbles deep in Henderson territory, at midfield, and once on his own side after a blown exchange.

North Texas went on to win 27-0, a shutout fueled by turnovers. The Mean Green defense recovered six fumbles in total, with Henry personally responsible for two-thirds of them. It remains one of the most dominant single-game defensive efforts ever recorded.

Decades later, the record still stands. No player at the Division I level has matched Henry's four fumble recoveries in one game. Even as the sport evolved, with spread offenses and fewer running plays, the odds of a defender replicating that kind of performance have only grown slimmer.

In an era defined by offense, Olin Henry's name remains on a short, stubborn list of defensive legends - a reminder that sometimes, the best plays come from simply being in the right place when chaos breaks loose.