USF's athletic department will enshrine its third class of Athletic Hall of Fame members on Friday night, and for the first time, a football player is part of that class, with the honor going to former Bulls defensive back Anthony Henry, part of USF's first football team.

Henry, 35, was drafted by the Browns and went on to sign a $25 million contract with the Cowboys, and he's been one of the most prominent former players in giving back to the football program that gave him his start. We had a chance before the season started to talk with Henry about his being inducted into USF's Hall of Fame and his memories of playing for the Bulls.

Q: What does it mean to you to be the first football player honored in USF's Athletic Hall of Fame?

A: It means a great deal. In other sports and not just on a football level, there are others who are very talented and deserving as well. I think it's a blessing for myself to be inducted, for the people who were instrumental in my life, that led me down this path, whether in high school, at USF or in the NFL.

Q: You were at USF during the very first years, so what does it mean to see USF playing against schools like FSU, Florida and Miami, as well as national programs like Notre Dame?

A: It goes to show how far our football program has come. For us to be opening up at Notre Dame, which has a lot of rich history, to be able to play at that level, to experience that. When I was there, we were I-AA, the campus was different. But this is the level they're competing on, week in and week out. I'm proud to say I'm part of USF's program.

Q: How often do you get back to campus?

A: I always go back in the offseason, speak to some of the coaching staff. I've met the new coaching staff, since Coach (Jim) Leavitt's been gone. (Head trainer) Steve Walz is there, and Rev. David Lane. I like to pop my head in the department, to see the people I had great relationships with in my time at USF and after as well. It's always great to see everybody.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory of how young the program was when you first played at USF?

A: When we first got there, we scrimmaged at local high schools, played against ourselves a lot. So to play our first game against Kentucky Wesleyan, we ended up beating them 80-3. It was the first game ever for the program. That was one of the most exciting times I ever experienced. It was unbelievable.

Q: That 1996 season, when you didn't even have opponents, that's 15 years ago this year. What was that like as a football team, to practice all season and not have the reward of a football game to show for all the hard work?

A: It was tough. You get tired of banging up on each other. It was challenging, but Coach Leavitt and his staff did a great job of telling us, these days that we're practicing are going to pay off some day. That all led up to that first game, and I think we were very well-prepared. To this day, I still keep in touch with many of those guys.

Q: You haven't played in the NFL since 2009 with the Lions. Do you keep in shape hoping for another round, or are you ready to step away from the game?

A: I'm always going to stay in shape. But as far as trying to get back in the league, that's not my focus. I'm pretty much done with it. It's kind of behind me. I still love and miss the game. I got to play at a high level. I'm focused on the next step after football. I want to coach football, but right now, I'm not ready for the schedule and the commitment you have to have for it. You miss the camaraderie in the locker room, putting it all together and going out to play games. You miss all those things. The competitiveness, it's hard to get that out of your system.