BATH — In a letter to fans last April, Batlimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said it perfectly: “Football is a metaphor for life.”

It’s a sport that builds character, demands obedience and prepares athletes to deal with life challenges down the road. Through tough love and harsh criticism, a good coach develops players’ skills both athletically and socially, so when the time comes to unstrap their helmets for the final time, players are prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Jim Henderson, 83, who now resides in Bath, was one of those coaches — 37 former high school football players and 14 former cheerleaders can attest to his wide-scale impact. From Texas to New Jersey to Florida, former players ventured to Henderson’s house in Bath this weekend to express their appreciation toward an unforgettable mentor.

“We have stuck together all these years and it touched all of our hearts,” said Barry Sawyer, the team’s former captain and quarterback who organized the gathering. “We thought it would be great to know how much he meant to us.”

Celebrated for his knowledge between the lines and selflessness off the field, Henderson built the Indian River High School football program from the ground up, guiding a collection of players through junior high school and eventually to their senior year in 1970.

Indian River, a public school in Chesapeake, Va., opened its doors in 1967 and with it came Henderson’s football players from the Class of 1970. With a team made up entirely of ninth graders, the Braves went on to win six jayvee games the first season. As sophomores, Indian River finished undefeated, outscoring opponents by almost 200 points, according to Sawyer.

“I was building a new program and did the best I knew how to do,” Henderson said. “I treated those kids like human beings, never cussed a kid out. I’d told them how to correct the mistakes they were making and fussed at them, but never yelled.”

Playing at the varsity level with mostly juniors, no seniors, the Braves had a daunting task in front of them: compete against established, sizable high school programs. Prior to the season, Sawyer approached his coach and asked for a role reversal, requesting he switch from quarterback to split receiver, a move that would allow another young talent, Bobby Boyd, to take the reigns as field general.

At quarterback, Boyd led the Braves to 4-6 seasons in 1969 and ’70 and upon graduation, he went on to play at Georgia and later East Carolina.

Henderson’s first Indian River class set the foundation for the future. The program took off following the 1970 season, posting its first winning varsity record in ’71 and an 8-2 mark in ’72.

For Henderson, looking back 40 years later, it’s not the team’s on-the-field performance that he’s most proud of. Rather, he relishes in his former players’ success in life — Vietnam veterans, doctors, lawyers, judges and NFL players make up a long list of former pupils.

“These kids coming back here (to Bath) just brought back so many great memories and the fact that I had put 54 young people in colleges and universities,” Henderson said. “That feeling of accomplishment that God gave me something to do and I did it. It’s just coming to reality right now that these kids have been so affected by me.

“I’m proud of what I was able to do that and that these kids have a better life because of it.”

Henderson moved to Beaufort County in 1974 and became a head coach at Bath in 1975, leading the team to its first undefeated season. The following year, he became an assistant principal and coach at Chocowinity, where he remained for 25 years until retirement.

“We came from all over just to be with coach,” said Todd McAnally, a former player. “I’ve never seen a group like us who have stayed as close.”