INDIANAPOLIS - There will be an NM State presence at the 2021 Men's Final Four.
With attendance at the 2021 Men's Final Four limited due to COVID-19 protocols at Lucas Oil Stadium, a new fan cutout program will allow college basketball fans and their programs a chance to be represented.
As part of the NCAA Men's Final Four fan cutout program, all Division I athletics directors were provided with four free cutouts that will be displayed in the stands. These cutouts are intended to showcase school spirit while enhancing the atmosphere and visual presence in Lucas Oil Stadium. Each DI member institution was provided an an opportunity to feature their Final Four hometown legends such as alumni and local community leaders.
For NM State, those Final Four hometown legends include Pistol Pete, the late coach Lou Henson, the late Aggie basketball great Jimmy Collins and the late Las Cruces School District Superintendent Dr. Karen Trujillo.
"The NCAA, through the Final Four fan cutout program, is allowing us to recognize individuals who sadly are no longer with us but represented the best in us," commented NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia. "Legendary former Hall of Fame Coach Lou Henson, All-American Jimmy Collins and admired educator and tremendous Aggie fan Dr. Karen Trujillo are the individuals who meant so much to our Las Cruces community as well as the entire state of New Mexico. Pistol Pete, who exemplifies the Aggie spirit for NM State fans all around the globe, rounds out this group of cutouts which will be featured at the Final Four."
Fans were also given the option to purchase cutouts for the Final Four. Proceeds from the program will benefit both the United Way's Central Indiana COVID-19 Recovery and Rebound effort and Hilinski's Hope, a national nonprofit promoting awareness and education of student-athlete mental health and wellness.
Trujillo was Las Cruces Public Schools' superintendent since September of 2019, leaving a big impact on the district and the entire Las Cruces community.
Trujillo, 50, died on Feb. 25 after being struck by a car while walking her dogs that evening.
During her tenure at NM State, Trujillo served as the director of the Alliance for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning where she established Educators Rising. The organization gives students an opportunity to engage in teaching while in high school. Educators Rising began with six schools and today there are more than 40 schools and nearly 1,000 students in the program.
Trujillo was a proud Aggie, receiving her bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics education from New Mexico State University. In 1997, she received her Ph.D. in secondary education, mathematics, curriculum and instruction, also at NMSU.
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.
The star of the Aggies' magical Final Four run in 1970, Collins is the only NM State player to be named to an All-American team three times. Under head coach Lou Henson, the native of Syracuse, N.Y. also led his team to a trio of NCAA Tournament appearances. To this day, Collins holds two single-season records: scoring (754 points) and field goals made (322). Additionally, Collins ranks third on NM State's all-time scoring list with 1,734 points, although he played before the three-point shot was adopted by college basketball.
On the fabled 1969-70 Final Four team, Collins was the team's leading scorer (24.6 ppg) while also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. As a result of his spectacular play, he was named a First Team All-American by three separate entities (Converse, Helms and the USBWA). He was chosen as the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region MVP before earning a spot on the NCAA's All-Final Four Team, and he was also a two-time NCAA All-Tournament team selection.
For complete coverage of the 2021 Final Four, tune in to CBS Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Top-seeded Baylor will take on second-seeded Houston in the first Final Four contest and following that 11th-seeded UCLA and top-seeded Gonzaga will duke it out.
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