Still in the game
After a lifetime as an engineer, executive, veteran, athlete, coach, and community builder, Ron Henthorn stepped behind a microphone in his seventies. Now in his late eighties, “The Wedge” is still calling the action for STSPN.
STSPNSTSPN SPORTSWESCO BROADCAST NETWORK
RON HENTHORN
The man behind the microphone
Ron did not grow up dreaming of a broadcast booth. He simply heard John and Scott calling a game, thought it sounded like fun, and stepped into a new arena. More than a decade later, he is still there.
The current chapter
A familiar voice at Western Conference events, Ron brings a lifetime of competition, and genuine curiosity, to every interview. He asks the question a fan wants answered and never loses sight of the people inside the game.
August 23, 2026 · WESCO Media Day
Ron returned to co-host WESCO Media Day for STSPN, bringing “The Wedge” back to the microphone for another season of Western Conference sports.
Watch the 2026 Media Day broadcast
An unexpected second act
Ron had already lived several full chapters before STSPN: college football standout, Boeing engineer, corporate executive, tennis-club founder, youth coach, father, golfer, and competitive basketball player. Then, in his seventies, the microphone opened another door.
“The remarkable part isn't simply that Ron started late. It's that he is still showing up, still learning names, and still making the game matter.
As Ron remembers it: John and Scott were calling a game. He listened, thought it sounded like a fun thing to do, and decided to give it a try. The rest is history.
Before the microphone
Ron's broadcasting voice was shaped long before his first game. Each earlier chapter gave him a way to understand athletes, coaches, pressure, teamwork, and the value of being prepared.
The engineer
Ron joined Boeing as an engineer and advanced into executive leadership, including Vice President of Boeing Associated Products. He also created the airflow-activated safety device known as the Cooper vane, which prevented the Boeing 727's aft stair from being opened in flight following the D.B. Cooper hijacking.
The athlete
A standout football player and college wide receiver, Ron passed on professional football for the steadier path of engineering. In the 1950s, the average NFL player earned about $7,500 a season. Ron's decision was about more than engineering. He wanted the stability to support a family. He later played organized basketball into his seventies, and remains an avid golfer today.
The builder
Beginning in 1974, Ron headed the nonprofit effort that became the Issaquah Tennis Club. When the nonprofit did not receive funding, Ron and his business partner, Barry Owen, decided to finance the club themselves. In 1977, construction began on an enclosed indoor facility with four tennis courts and one racquetball court, with land held for four possible future courts. Ron also developed a revolutionary color scheme to balance contrast with practical indoor lighting. Reasoning that a black court and white ball would provide maximum contrast but be impractical to illuminate, he selected a brown near the middle of the Pantone color range. He then matched the backdrop curtains to the out-of-bounds area, eliminating the distracting visual jump as the ball moved between the court and background.
The veteran
Ron began his military career in the U.S. Army. He later became an officer and served as a lieutenant in the Kansas Air National Guard.
The coach & dad
Ron coached both of his children across basketball, soccer, tennis, and baseball. In 1979, Issaquah Parks and Recreation thanked volunteer coach Ron Henthorn by name and listed him with the boys' Kings basketball team, a surviving piece of the public record from one of those seasons.
The long game
A working timeline for the Ron Henthorn archive. Verified dates and stories will continue to grow as family records, photographs, and historical documents are added.
The beginning of a life shaped by sport, engineering, family, and community.
A standout football player and college wide receiver, Ron chose the steadier path of engineering over professional football. In the 1950s, the average NFL player earned about $7,500 a season. Ron's decision was about more than engineering. He wanted the stability to support a family.
A U.S. military veteran, Ron began his service in the Army. He later became an officer and served as a lieutenant in the Kansas Air National Guard.
Ron rose from engineering into executive leadership, including Vice President of Boeing Associated Products.
The Issaquah Tennis Club began as a nonprofit effort, but it did not receive funding, so Ron and his business partner, Barry Owen, decided to finance it themselves.
Contemporary records place him courtside as a volunteer Issaquah youth-basketball coach.
In his seventies, Ron started an entirely new chapter with STSPN.
Now in his late eighties, “The Wedge” remains part of the action, and part of the community.
Additional personal and Boeing documentation will be added as the Ron Henthorn archive continues to grow.
