Former Illinois coach Lou Henson passes away at 88

Another legendary coach has passed away in the world of sports. Lou Henson, who had the most wins at New Mexico State (289) and Illinois (423) has passed away at the age of 88, according to his family on Wednesday.

Henson began his coaching career in 1957 as a high school coach in New Mexico. That was followed by a stint at New Mexico State from 1966 to 1975 and against in 1997 to 2005. He coached the Illini from 1975 to 1996, having led the Illini to the Final Four in 1989.

He was elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 and the court was named after him at State Farm Center in Champaign, which is where he reportedly passed away on Saturday.

Henson’s best team was the 1988-89 Illinois team that reached a No. 1 ranking during the regular season. They reached the Final Four for the first time in 37 years before losing to Michigan in the national semifinal in Seattle.

At Illinois, his teams were ranked at least a five seed or higher in the NCAA Tournament for seven straight years from 1984-90. He won 779 games at Hardin-Simmons, New Mexico State and Illinois. He also won 18 games in 1997 after Neil McCarthy was fired at New Mexico State due to an NCAA investigation into violations (which were taken away from his record).