CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Lou Henson, one of college basketball's greatest coaches and the individual who helped put NM State men's basketball on the map passed away in his Champaign, Ill., home Saturday, July 25, 2020. Henson, 88, was buried Wednesday, July 29, in Champaign in a graveside service attended by his family members. 

"New Mexico State University will be forever indebted to Coach Lou Henson," said NMSU President John Floros. "He was tremendously successful at everything he did, including his life's work of shaping the lives of our students and in making our community a better place. He will always be part of our university. He will always be an Aggie."

"Our university and our entire community have lost a remarkable man," said NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu. "I have such fond memories, when I was a student at NMSU, of watching Lou Henson lead the Aggies all the way to the Final Four. I will always remember those games and I will always remember how he cared about our community and about our people. We offer our deepest sympathies to the Henson family. Please know we are with you all in spirit."

"Aggie Nation's hearts are heavy today," said NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia. "We have lost an Aggie icon. Coach Henson may be gone, but the memories he provided us with and the legacy he created will last forever. He was responsible for almost 800 wins in the record book and the most memorable event in our university's history of athletics: the trip to the 1970 Final Four. Coach Henson's legacy was equally felt off the court in the lives he touched – those of his former players, people on this campus, and friends in Las Cruces and around the state of New Mexico. We are all better for whatever time we were privileged to spend with Lou. Coach made everyone feel like a friend. I so enjoyed my time with Coach these last five years, and I will miss him as friend and an advisor. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mary, Lisa, Lori, Leigh Anne, and the entire Henson family. Their family will always be part of ours."

"Lou Henson was the epitome of class and a one-of-a-kind coach," said NM State head men's basketball coach Chris Jans. "What he did for New Mexico State and the sport of college basketball is something that few before or since have accomplished. He is revered by two fan bases which is extremely rare in our business. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mary, Lisa, Lori, Leigh Anne and all of the Henson family. May he rest in peace"

Born in Okay, Oklahoma, on January 10, 1932, Henson lettered three times as a member of the NM State men's basketball team from 1953-55. That playing career was the beginning of one of history's finest college basketball legacies which spanned over a half-century. Following his playing days, Henson remained in Las Cruces to begin his coaching career at Las Cruces High School. As the head coach of the varsity team from 1958-62, Henson and his crew captured state championships in 1959, 1960 and 1961 before he joined the collegiate coaching ranks. After spending four seasons as the head coach at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, Henson returned to Las Cruces and was named NM State's head men's basketball coach prior to the start of the 1966-67 season. 

Through his first tenure as the Aggies' bench boss which ran from 1966-75, Henson helped the Aggies advance to the NCAA Tournament on six occasions. It was Henson's 1969-70 squad, however, that set the standard for all Aggie squads before or since. Led by the likes of Jimmy Collins, Sam Lacey and Charlie Criss, NM State embarked on a magical run to the Final Four where they lost to eventual national champion UCLA. The Aggies concluded their season with a 27-3 record and made their presence known to basketball fans around the land. 

Following the 1974-75 season, Henson accepted the job as the head coach at the University of Illinois where he remained for the next 21 seasons. In the 1988-89 campaign, Henson returned to the Final Four with the Fighting Illini.

Just prior to the 1997-98 season, Henson returned to the city where his basketball coaching career started 40 years earlier to begin his second stint as the head coach of NM State. That second run as the Aggies' leader lasted seven-plus seasons and was highlighted by Big West regular season and conference titles in the 1998-99 campaign. The 1998-99 season marked Henson's final trip to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, too. Midway through the 2004-05 season, Henson was forced to retire for good as a result of his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

All told, Henson's career continues to stand as one of the best ever in the history of college basketball. Upon his retirement, his 289 wins at NM State and 423 at Illinois were the most by a head coach at both institutions and his 779 career victories rank 16th on the all-time coaching list. 

One of just 13 NCAA men's basketball coaches who have accumulated 200 or more victories at two different schools, Henson is also one of just 15 coaches who have guided two teams to the Final Four. Henson also holds spots in four different Halls of Fame including the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame (1978), National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2015), Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame (2018) and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (2019). In 2002, the court inside the Aggies' home facility of the Pan American Center was renamed Lou Henson Court so his tremendous legacy would continue to live on. 

A two-time graduate of NM State (1955 and 1956), Henson is survived by his wife, Mary, and his daughters, Leigh Anne, Lisa and Lori. The Henson family asks that in lieu of flowers, friends and fans consider a memorial contribution in Coach Henson's name to one or more of the following:

Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces, New Mexico
330 W. Las Cruces Avenue
Las Cruces, NM 88005
Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces, NM

Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club of Champaign, Illinois
201 E. Park Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club of Champaign, IL

Cunningham Children's Home
1301 N. Cunningham Avenue
Urbana, Illinois 61802
Cunningham Children's Home

NMSU Foundation, Inc.
Lou and Mary Henson Endowed Scholarship
P.O. Box 3590
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Lou and Mary Henson Endowed Scholarship

U of I Foundation
Lou and Mary Henson Men's Basketball Academic Assistance Fund
1305 W. Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801
Lou and Mary Henson Men's Basketball Academic Assistance Fund

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