Greg Hennigar loved bringing people together.
It didn’t matter if it was friends, family, teammates, neighborhoods or even rival schools, Hennigar grew up making sure everyone in his circle was happy.
And Hennigar’s circle was a wide one. The Father Judge High School graduate, star quarterback and Penn State football player died 20 years ago in a car accident.
A few weeks after he passed away, his friends started the Greg Hennigar Tournament, a day for great football, a day to be around friends and the most important part, a day to honor and remember Hennigar, who despite being a talented quarterback who was playing with Penn State, people always talk about the kind of person he was long before they talk about his football accomplishments.
That’s the kind of person Greg Hennigar was.
“Greg would love it. He would have loved to play in it and go back and experience,” said Greg’s brother Sean, who is a few years older than his brother. “He’d want to coach up kids, he was a hands-on person. I could see him jumping right in, he definitely would have been a coach.
“It’s a great event, it’s been a great event since it started. His friends started it, we were in no position to do anything the first year. They set it all up. It really captures the spirit of my brother. My whole family, everyone comes out.”
Since that year, his friends and family started the Hennigar Tournament, a two-touch tournament that has greatly evolved over the years.
In fact, the first one was a product of all Hennigar’s friends and former teammates at Father Judge. But just about every school in the area sent players to the tournament, which at the time was open to anyone who wanted to play.
Over time, Hennigar’s friends got older, so the tournament was changed from a neighborhood roughtouch tourney to a 7-on-7 high school showcase tournament.
This year, the tournament will consist of six high school teams — Father Judge, Radnor, William Tennent, Northeast, Council Rock South and Abington — that will compete in the seven-on-seven showcase. All teams will play four games, and there will be a winners and consolation bracket for a championship. It will be held June 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ramp Playground across the street from Hennigar’s alma mater.
“I was there in the early days, it started off, we all got our own teams, then we got too old and it was hard to keep that tournament going,” said Hennigar’s cousin Stephen Ciabattoni, who played in the early days of the tournament and now is a Gold Sponsor through his company 360 Payments, a payment technology company that focuses on the automotive industry. “We would have two-hand touch teams. Major kudos to the guys who ran it for keeping it going and turning into a high school sports program. We all got too old, lazy and fat.
“Greg was the big brother I didn’t have. We were really tight growing up, he was the person I idolized, I wanted to do everything he did. I grew up by Franklin Mills, but went to Judge because Greg went to Judge. I was fortunate enough to play with him while I was at Judge.”
The tournament is really everything Hennigar loved.
Hennigar, who graduated from Judge in 2002, fully supported his high school, and he loved football.
This tournament has gone a long way in helping athletes, raising more than $150,000 to provide families in need with tuition assistance as well as promoting youth and amateur athletics in the Greater Northeast Philadelphia area.
It’s a great way to remember his spirit, but also his talents.
“The night before he died, me, Greg and his brother Sean went up to Father Judge because Greg was playing at PSU, and he needed a workout,” Ciabattoni said. “We went up, running routes for him. He told me to run a five-yard slant, so I do and he pegs me right in the face. I was never hit that hard in my life. He had the strongest arm, at least that I’ve ever experienced.“
“He was able to read people very well,” his brother said. “That’s what made him a leader. People wanted to be around He touched a lot of people in positive ways, he was a good person, good student, and he could really make you laugh.”
He could also get on you in a very good-natured way. Just ask his brother.
“I came home from college his senior year, one of the breaks, and we were playing basketball and he dunks on me,” Hennigar said of his brother. “He starts rubbing it in, it’s like the new commercial for the insurance companies. He knew how to push buttons and it was great. He knew when to joke, he was great at that.”
When it comes to making people feel special, that was Hennigar’s greatest attribute. And his memories are the perfect example on how to do things.
”In one sense, he was a really humble person, so I think he would be a little embarrassed, but he was always the center of attention, he had a dynamic personality, always a comedian,” his cousin said. “He loved attention, but not about him. He would be proud to have such an impact on people. He loved people, just being around and bringing people together.”
And thanks to his family and friends, Hennigar’s legacy will continue to live on.
“Honestly, if my kids grow up to be like my little brother, I would be so proud,” Sean said. “I try to live like he used to. He would have a good time and break your balls, but he knew when to throw in a joke.
“It’s a great time for the family, it’s a somber time of the year, especially 20th anniversary, his death left a giant hole. The tournament is a great way to bring his spirit back and of course good football.”
Anyone interested in sponsoring or getting involved in the tournament can contact tournament director Ryan Nase at [email protected].
