Lou Henson obit

Hall of Fame college basketball coach Lou Henson dies at 88

He was not on the list.

Hall of Fame college basketball coach Lou Henson died Saturday from cancer, the University of Illinois confirmed on Wednesday. He was 88.

Henson was diagnosed in 2003 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had several setbacks and chemotherapy treatments over the last decade. Henson was buried Wednesday in a private ceremony in Champaign, Illinois, the school said.

"Our Orange and Blue hearts are heavy," Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. "We have lost an Illini icon. We have lost a role model, a friend, and a leader. We have lost our coach. Coach Henson may be gone, but the memories he provided us, and the legacy he created, will last forever. He was responsible for almost 800 wins in the record book and countless Fighting Illini moments frozen in time, but Coach Henson's true measure will be felt in the lives he touched – the lives of his former players, people on this campus, and friends in our broader community."

Henson, best known for coaching the Illinois "Flyin' Illini" teams of the late 1980s, spent 41 years in the coaching ranks with three different programs before retiring from New Mexico State in 2005. He’s one of just 14 coaches to lead two teams to the Final Four --New Mexico State in 1970 and Illinois in 1989. 

Henson was inducted in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He guided Illinois the NCAA tournament 12 time, including the 31-season that ended with a Final Four loss to Michigan in 1989. 

At Illinois, Henson coached several future NBA players including Nick Anderson, Ken Norman, Kenny Battle, Derek Harper, Kiwane Garis and Kendall Gill. He was remembered for sporting a bright orange suit during his 21-year tenure with the Illini. Subsequent Illini coaches have honored Henson by wearing the coat at various times.

 

At New Mexico State he coached Sam Lacey, Jimmy Collins and Charlie Criss to the NCAA finals where the Aggies lost to the UCLA Bruins coached by John Wooden. NMSU Athletic Director Mario Moccia said the iconic coach's passing marked a "very sad day for Aggies Nation."

 

Henson began his coaching career at Las Cruces High School in 1956. After two years as junior varsity coach, Henson was head coach of the varsity team from 1958 to 1962 and won state championships in 1959, 1960, and 1961.

 

Henson ranks 24th on the NCAA career wins list with a record of 779-419. He ranks fifth all-time among Big Ten coaches with 423 wins.

"A sad day as we mourn the passing of Lou Henson, the greatest coach in Illini history," current Illinois coach Brad Underwood tweeted. "My thoughts are with (Henson's wife) Mary, their family & the hundreds of players who were led by such a tremendous man & coach. Rest In Peace to the best to ever wear the orange jacket; we’ll miss you Coach."

Henson is the only coach other than John Wooden to have two courts named after him, one at Illinois and one at New Mexico State. He coached the Aggies in two separate stints (one in 1966–1975 and the other 1997–2005).  

While it’s well documented that former Illinois guard Stephen Bardo has admitted to having a love-hate relationship with his head coach in college, Lou Henson will always be his head coach and mentor.

    “For me, Lou Henson’s voice got louder the longer I left school,” Bardo said. “The more of an adult I became, the older my kids became, I would hear Coach Henson’s voice more. I would impart the lessons I learned from him onto my children. He had an enormous impact on my life.”

    “So sad to hear that the best coach I ever had has moved on,” former Illinois wing Eddie Johnson said in a tweet. “Lou Henson was royalty to me. He took me and shaped me and sent me on my way, but was always available to reset me when I was off. He and his wife Mary took their first vacation since he had become a coach to attend my wedding I loved that man and he will never be forgotten. He is the best ever at Illinois.”

Johnson’s famous game-winning shot at Assembly Hall in Champaign on Jan. 11, 1979 to defeat then-No. 1 and eventual national champion Michigan State (then led by Earvin “Magic” Johnson) was a moment that jump started the legendary tenure of Henson at Illinois.

“I think the first thing Coach Henson taught me was discipline,” Former player and assistant coach Jimmy Collins said to the Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette. “The discipline you need to exhibit to really, really be successful, not only in basketball, but in life. There has to be discipline. The other thing he taught me was focus. Think about whatever move you are going to make and then make the move. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out, sometimes it does, but nine times out of 10 it will work out.”

Larry Lubin, who was one of Henson's first recruits at Illinois and captained the 1978-79 Illini squad that finished 19-11, talked about what a younger version of Henson was like to play for.

    "He was tough, man and I always say this about Coach Henson but outside of basketball and you can argue whether he made you truly a better ball player but Coach Henson made us a man. He made us tough. He made us responsible. I'm grateful simple for just that. He certainly turned the program around from what it was before and one thing I'll always remember, he went through my whole time at Illinois and never uttered a cuss word. Not one. I'm lucky if I get through a sentence without one. But he made his point, that's for sure."

Marcus Liberty, who averaged 12.6 points per game in his two-year Illini career under Henson from 1988-90, talked about being recruited and playing for Henson at Illinois after being named a McDonald's All-American in 1987 along with being the Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year.

    "He never treated me like I was one of those kind of guys. And I owe a lot to him because that's a lot of pressure being the No. 1 ranked high school guy coming in from Chicago and wanting to play immediately," Liberty said. "Coach Henson realized that if I don't put a lot of pressure on this young man, he'll be fine. I used to get mad because I would think I was that (No. 1 ranked player) dude and you're not treating me like that but now I understand why. He didn't want that added pressure on me. He protected me from that."

Bruce Douglas, a former Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, on Lou Henson: "Coach was one of those people who was very humble but very direct. Coach didn't have a lot of fluff. He said the stuff."

Bruce Douglas was voted an Illini All-Century Team member after he finished his playing career under Henson as the Big Ten's all-time leader in assists (765) and steals (324) while also being named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Year in 1984 after helping the Illini to a share of the league title. Douglas, who finished his Illini career with 1,261 points, talked about Henson as well.

Ryan Baker, a weekday morning news anchor at WBBM-TV/CBS 2 in Chicago, talked about his experiences as a student manager from 1988-91 that included the 1988-89 "Flyin’ Illini" squad.

    "Coach Henson has such much to celebrate. It's interesting that whoever you talk to whether it's longtime NBA veterans like Eddie Johnson, walk-ons like Eddie Manske, managers like myself and Andrew Haring and everybody's story is pretty much the same," Baker said. "Because the one word you think of with Coach Henson is consistent. All of those lessons you say now as a father and husband were invaluable. I know he's up in heaven coaching now because he can't sit still."