Class of 2024
Henry Thorne

Henry Thorne
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Born: 1959 (Age 65)
World Championships
3x World Champion (1991, 1993, 1995)
Henry Thorne has been obsessed with ultimate for over 4 decades, committing significant personal time and energy to navigating and securing some of the game’s most pivotal innovations. These include integrating mixed division competition into the national championship series, approving the adoption of the Callahan Rules, helping to create a national youth ultimate infrastructure, refining the observer role, centering spirit of the game and player-controlled ethos in policy, and professionalizing the governing body of the sport. Henry has always been a change agent and bridge builder in advancing the sport. He has worked to make ultimate more inclusive, accessible, and mainstream, yet always stayed true to its player-focused roots and core values. To accomplish that as a UPA/USAU Board member between 1997 and 2018, Henry made community engagement part of every change effort, ensuring the ultimate community was always ‘at the table’. After over 40 years of playing, organizing, and volunteering, Henry’s mark on our sport is deep, widespread, and profound.
Contributions & Service
- 1984: helped start Pittsburgh Summer League
- 1997-2004, 2006-2011, 2013-2018: UPA/USAU Board Member
- 1998: pushed for adoption of the Callahan Rules
Championship Tournaments
World Championships
Year | Tournament | Team | Placement |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | WUCC Toronto, ON | Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Masters Men | 1st |
1993 | WUCC Madison, Wisconsin | Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Masters Men | 1st |
1995 | WUCC Millfield, UK | Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Masters Men | 1st |