DENTON, Texas — Over the past four years, Seth Henigan’s parents Dave and Laurie have drove and flown to countless miles to watch their middle son be the signal caller for the Memphis Tigers. It’s only fitting that for Seth’s last game as a Tiger, they get to hop in the car and drive a mere 30 miles from his hometown of Denton, Texas, to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
“All of them have had the ball in their hand since birth,” Laurie said. “But he and his brother would play and tackle each other and would pretend to be Dave’s players.
All three of the Henigan boys — Ian, Seth and Quin — did in fact go on to play for their dad, Dave, at Denton Ryan high school.
Seth was a three-year starter at quarterback. He threw for 7,234 yards and 79 touchdowns enroute to a 44-2 record, capped off with a State Title in his senior year (2020) as a Raider.
“It was a special time for me as a Dad being around him every day and watching him grow from a leadership standpoint,” Dave said. “When you’re the coach's kid at this school and playing that position, you’re going to deal with some hate and so how he handled all that with mental toughness and class and work ethic and just proving people wrong really benefited him moving onto the next level.”
With those values learned in the hallways of Denton Ryan, Seth has carved out a lasting legacy at Memphis. He’s the winningest quarterback in Tiger history and the all-time leader in passing yards, completions and touchdowns thrown.
“Seth has always been underrated and an overachiever,” Dave said. “So, did I expect it? No. Am I surprised by it? No.”
While the stack of records makes a case for Seth as the greatest quarterback in program history, Dave and Laurie are more impressed by the man he has become off the field.
“He never flinched from the criticism, and he always deflected the praise, and I think that’s special,” Dave said.
“He has always been a charismatic leader and people are drawn to him and I’m proud of him for that, for just being a really authentic human and loving people,” Laurie said.
On Tuesday, for the 50th and final time, Seth will don the Tiger stripes, and his parents, just like they always have, will make the trip to watch him.
“It does feel very full circle, and it does feel very surreal that it is his last game on Tuesday. It’s just flown by, it really has. It’s crazy," Laurie said.
“I don’t want to say 'sad.' It’s bittersweet, you know? We’re going to miss it; I'm going to miss it," Dave said. "We’ve spent a lot of time watching him and our boys play their entire lives. That’s what you do as parents. So a part of our lives are over, but that’s just a chance for another part to begin.”
Seth hopes that new beginning will be in the NFL, but for right now all of his focus is on his final ride with the Memphis Tigers (10-2) when they play West Virginia (6-6) in the Frisco Bowl at 8 p.m. at Toyota Stadium.