Louis Ray Henson was a NCAA basketball Coach. Born January 10, 1932, in Okay Oklahoma to Joe and Laura Faye Henson. He played college basketball New Mexico State University. He started coaching in the college ranks in 1962 at Hardin-Simmons University with the conditions that the team (and the school) be of mixed races, a condition to which the university agreed. In 1966 he took over the head coaching job at New Mexico State and held this job until 1975 when The University of Illinois hired him as the head coach. While at New Mexico State, Henson finished as the all-time winningest coach with 289. Henson retired from The University of Illinois in 1997 having winning 423 wins and 224 losses (.654 winning percentage) also the winningest coach. On February 17, 2015 he was inducted into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame. After his retirement he was hired as interim head coach (for the salary of $1per year) at his ama mater and won The Big West title and tournament. He died on July 25th, 2015 in Champaign, Illinois of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Louis Ray Henson was a NCAA basketball Coach. Born January 10, 1932, in Okay Oklahoma to Joe and Laura Faye Henson. He played college basketball New Mexico State University. He started coaching in the college ranks in 1962 at Hardin-Simmons University with the conditions that the team (and the school) be of mixed races, a condition to which the university agreed. In 1966 he took over the head coaching job at New Mexico State and held this job until 1975 when The University of Illinois hired him as the head coach. While at New Mexico State, Henson finished as the all-time winningest coach with 289. Henson retired from The University of Illinois in 1997 having winning 423 wins and 224 losses (.654 winning percentage) also the winningest coach. On February 17, 2015 he was inducted into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame. After his retirement he was hired as interim head coach (for the salary of $1per year) at his ama mater and won The Big West title and tournament. He died on July 25th, 2015 in Champaign, Illinois of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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