Lou Henson facts for kids
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 10, 1932 Okay, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | July 25, 2020 (aged 88) Champaign, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1951–1953 | Connors JC |
| 1953–1955 | New Mexico A&M |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956–1958 | Las Cruces HS (JV) |
| 1958–1962 | Las Cruces HS |
| 1962–1966 | Hardin–Simmons |
| 1966–1975 | New Mexico State |
| 1975–1996 | Illinois |
| 1997–2005 | New Mexico State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1967–1975 | New Mexico State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 779–422 |
| Tournaments | 19–20 (NCAA) 5–4 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2× NCAA Regional – Final Four (1970, 1989) Big Ten regular season (1984) Big West regular season (1999) Big West tournament (1999) |
|
| Awards | |
| MVC Coach of the Year (1975) Big Ten Coach of the Year (1993) |
|
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2015 |
|
Louis Ray Henson (born January 10, 1932 – died July 25, 2020) was a famous American college basketball coach. He is known for winning more games than any other coach at two major universities: the University of Illinois (with 423 wins) and New Mexico State (with 289 wins).
Overall, Coach Henson won an amazing 779 games during his career. This puts him among the top college basketball coaches of all time. He was also one of only four coaches in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) to win at least 200 games at two different schools. In 2015, Lou Henson was honored by being chosen for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. To celebrate his achievements, the basketball courts at both the University of Illinois and New Mexico State University are named after him.
Early Life and Education
Lou Henson was born in Okay, Oklahoma. He finished high school in 1951. After high school, he went to Connors Junior College. Later, he transferred to New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which is now known as New Mexico State University.
He played basketball for the New Mexico A&M Aggies from 1953 to 1955. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1955 and a master's degree in 1956 from the same university.
Coaching Career
Coach Henson began his coaching journey at Las Cruces High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1956. He coached the junior varsity team for two years. From 1958 to 1962, he was the head coach for the main high school team. During this time, his teams won state championships in 1959, 1960, and 1961.
In 1962, he started coaching college basketball at Hardin-Simmons University. When he took the job, Coach Henson made sure that the team and the university would allow players of all races. This was an important step towards racial integration in sports.
In 1966, he became the coach at his old school, New Mexico State University. In his first year there, the team improved a lot. They went from winning only 4 games the year before to winning 15 games and even made it to the NCAA tournament. In 1970, Coach Henson led the Aggies to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. This was the only time in the school's history they reached the Final Four. His team, which included future NBA players like Jimmy Collins and Sam Lacey, lost to UCLA in the semifinal game. Coach Henson coached at New Mexico State for nine seasons. During this time, his teams went to the NCAA Tournament six times and had four seasons with twenty or more wins.
In 1975, Coach Henson moved to the University of Illinois. He coached the Illinois Fighting Illini for 21 years. He achieved 423 wins and 224 losses there. His best team at Illinois was in the 1988–89 season. That team won a school record of 31 games and also reached the NCAA Final Four. Many future NBA players were coached by Henson at Illinois, including Eddie Johnson, Derek Harper, and Kendall Gill. Coach Henson retired from Illinois at the end of the 1996–1997 season.
In 1997, Coach Henson returned to New Mexico State. He became the interim head coach after the previous coach was let go. He wanted to coach for free, but state law required him to be paid. So, he accepted a very small salary of $1 per month. After a successful season, he was given his old job back permanently. His team in 1998–99 won both the Big West regular season and tournament titles. This was the first time in his career that he won a conference tournament. He retired for good during the 2004–05 season due to health reasons. His second time coaching at New Mexico State allowed him to become the school's all-time winningest coach again.
Later Years and Passing
In his later years, Coach Henson faced some health challenges. He passed away on July 25, 2020, at the age of 88. Even at 82, he briefly returned to coaching for a charity basketball game in 2014. He coached the New Mexico House of Representatives team against the New Mexico State Senate team.
See also
In Spanish: Lou Henson para niños
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
- List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
- Lou Henson Award
