| 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 (January 10, 1932 – July 25, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. He retired as the all-time leader in victories at the University of Illinois with 423 victories and New Mexico State with 289 victories.[1] Overall, Henson won 779 games putting him in sixteenth place on the all-time list. Henson was also one of only four NCAA coaches to have amassed at least 200 total wins at two institutions.[2] On February 17, 2015, Henson was selected as a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.[1][2] In August 2015, prior to the reopening of the newly renovated State Farm Center at the University of Illinois, the hardwood floor was dedicated and renamed Lou Henson Court in his honor. The court at the Pan American Center at New Mexico State University is also named in his honor.