"He is remembered not only for his team's success on the court, but also for his personal grace and sense of humor."
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) July 29, 2020
The @B1GMBBall community has lost a legend. Lou Henson - the winningest head coach in @IlliniMBB history - passed away at the age of 88. pic.twitter.com/A5GQgoNpAP
CHAMPAIGN — Lou Henson won 423 games as the University of Illinois head men’s basketball coach and you’d think that is what most people would judge him by.
His impact on the program over the course of 21 years was powerful enough that the university named the State Farm Center court in his honor.
But to those who knew, respected and loved Henson the best, it wasn’t his coaching ability that will forever define the life of a man who passed away Saturday in Champaign at age 88.
No, Henson was one of those rare coaches whose reputation soared after his basketball career was complete. The respect for him multiplied 10-fold as he became an example of how a person can conduct their life with absolute grace in the face of a grave physical illness that Henson battled for the last 17 years.
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The Champaign News-Gazette reported that Henson was buried on Wednesday with only family members present. They wanted to keep news of his death private through the weekend out of concerns for the COVID-19 virus and the knowledge that large crowds could not safely gather.
Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2003, Henson almost never missed a beat despite undergoing an onslaught of chemotherapy treatments and operating with an immune system that was compromised to the point of being virtually nonexistent.
Those who know him would say it’s a miracle that he lasted until now, repeatedly fighting back from one grim prognosis after another under the direction of his wife, Mary Henson.
Lou and Mary.
Rarely has there been a husband-wife sports tandem as closely tied as the Hensons. They were inseparable, together at every game, every function and every fund-raiser. Mary was Lou’s biggest fan and Lou felt the same about Mary. In many ways, theirs is the ultimate love story.
Whenever possible, they were hand-in-hand common folks who would show up unannounced in support of friends in times of need. There are countless stories of Lou and Mary arriving unexpectedly at a funeral or visitation simply to offer a hug, a handshake or a word of encouragement to someone who may not have even realized they were on the Henson radar.
They made a point to learn your name, then made an effort to remember it.
Together they made a profound and lasting impression that had nothing to do with basketball.
Lou Henson was born on Jan. 10, 1932 in Okay, Oklahoma and he carried a kind of folksy drawl with him for all of his life. He loved to talk basketball and was known for grabbing a paper napkin and diagramming plays as he jabbered and gestured passionately about the intricacies of the game.
He had a sharp memory for the details of famous Illini basketball games, recalling which injuries affected the outcome, which referees worked the whistles and how his late-game decisions came into play.
He coached at a glorious time in the Big Ten Conference when legendary men like Bobby Knight of Indiana, Gene Keady of Purdue and Jud Heathcote of Michigan State were in their heyday.
He famously feuded with Knight and that animosity boiled over in 1991 following a game at Illinois’ Assembly Hall with Knight throwing profanities at Henson and Henson characterizing Knight as “a classic bully.”
Oh, Henson was a fighter.
And while his death had nothing to do with the current COVID-19 outbreak, he would have been just the person to roll up his sleeves and vow to tackle this invisible opponent one-on-one, all the while warning the rest of us to be safe and vigilant.
He also coached at Hardin-Simmons and twice at New Mexico State, taking his alma mater to the Final Four in 1970.
From a purely basketball standpoint, he’ll always be remembered for assembling and guiding the Flyin’ Illini team to the Final Four in 1989.
In all, he posted 779 wins, more than enough to ensure his induction into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
New Mexico State also named its basketball court after Lou Henson and only Henson and legendary coach John Wooden have courts at two schools dedicated in their name, Wooden at UCLA and Indiana State.
The University of Illinois took every right step to make sure Henson was appropriately honored while he was alive, naming the court, then ushering him into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.
The only oversight, in my view, was that the State Farm Center court should have been named “Lou and Mary Henson Court,” because her presence around the university and in the Champaign-Urbana community cemented the belief that they were an act that should never be separated.
It’s too bad that the COVID-19 restrictions regarding large gatherings prevented a proper public funeral. Suffice to say there will come a time when a public memorial will allow for an outpouring of love this man deserves. “Lou Henson Court” at the State Farm Center would be a fitting location.
PHOTOS: Remembering Lou Henson's time with the Illini
Mark Tupper is the retired executive sports editor of the Herald & Review. He can be reached at marktupper@barbeckbb.com