He followed with a nine-year stint at New Mexico State (1967-75), leading the Aggies to the 1970 Final Four and totaling a record of 173-71. He was 88.
The school said Henson died Saturday, July, 25, 2020, and was buried on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The school was cleared of more serious allegations that, among other things, Collins offered Chicago prospect eventual Illinois star Deon Thomas $80,000 and a Chevrolet Blazer to play at Illinois. Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire.
There’s no ego there.”Illinois coach Brad Underwood called Henson’s death “a sad day for the Illinois basketball family and Illini nation.”“His achievements are legendary, but what is immeasurable are the countless lives he impacted during his 21 years in Champaign and 41 years in coaching,” Underwood said. But Henson left coaching for good the following season, finishing with a 779-412 record.Henson dealt with health concerns related to his illness and its treatment for the rest of his life, but he also swam and golfed regularly.
After coaching at Las Cruces High School — where he won three state titles — and Hardin-Simmons University in Texas, Henson took over at New Mexico State in 1966.His Aggies made the NCAA Tournament in each of his first five seasons, including a Final Four appearance in 1970.Wins at New Mexico State led Henson to Illinois in 1975, where he took over a program that had struggled since an NCAA scandal in the 1960s.He wanted to build with players from Illinois, and particularly talent-rich Chicago, but warned that might be a slow process.“We’re going to try to build relations in our state,” he said during an interview years later. Former Illini Coach & College Basketball Hall Of Famer Lou Henson Dies At 88. Remembering Brian Dennehy, Tony-Winning Stage, Screen Actor.
Henson stressed preparation and discipline. “My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Mary and their family, and the hundreds of players who were fortunate enough to be led by such a tremendous man and coach. (AP Photo/Rick Danzl, File)CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Lou Henson, the plain-spoken coach who took New Mexico State and Illinois to the Final Four during a 21-year career that included nearly 800 victories and a feud with fellow Big Ten coach Bob Knight, has died. “Anything that went on in our basketball program — if Lou agreed, nobody ever questioned what I did,” Theus said.In Champaign, Bardo said, Henson could have been elected mayor: “Everybody has a story about coming across Lou Henson and him making them feel like they’re the only person in the room.”.Henson is survived by his wife, Mary, and daughters Lisa, Lori and Leigh Anne. Henson took Illinois to the NCAA Tournament in his sixth season, in 1980-81.By the time Bardo and the rest of the Flyin’ Illini were on campus, the talent pipeline Henson set out to build — and one Illinois coaches since have hoped to match — was flowing. Lou Henson’s legendary college basketball coaching career spanned 41 years at three programs.
After Knight refused a post-game handshake and said something to Henson outside the teams’ locker rooms in 1991, Henson called the Indiana coach “a classic bully.” Henson left Illinois in 1996, never getting the Illini back to his own 20-win benchmark after the NCAA probation. He spent four seasons at Hardin-Simmons (1963-66), where he integrated the basketball program before garnering a 67-36 record. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Disgruntled pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue is headed north, far away from Jacksonville.A person familiar with the trade says the Jaguars have agreed to send Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings for a second-round draft pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Danzl, File)FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2015, file photo, former University of Illinois basketball coach Lou Henson acknowledges the crowd while taking his seat courtside during the dedication of the court in his name at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. Henson, the basketball coach who led Illinois back into the national spotlight, has died at age 88.
“A week from today, we probably would be signing five players,” Henson said as the NCAA sanctions were announced in November 1990, just before signing day.
That success prepared … Rest in peace to the best to ever wear the orange jacket; we’ll miss you, coach.”Henson, a native of Okay, Oklahoma, played college basketball at New Mexico State in the early 1950s.
The allegation, made by then-Iowa assistant Bruce Pearl, set off the NCAA investigation and led Illinois fans to despise Pearl for decades.The Illini struggled the next season.