Former New Mexico State basketball coach, administrator Keith Colson, passes away

LAS CRUCES - Over the weekend, the Aggie community lost a beloved member. Former athletic director and basketball standout Keith Colson passed away peacefully on March 26 at the age of 88.

Colson was one of the most influential contributors to the rise and growth of NM State Athletics during his time spent in Las Cruces. The Ringling, Okla., native was born on September 18, 1934, and became a four-sport star at Ringling High School before being recruited by Aggie great Presley Askew to play basketball at Connors State College in Oklahoma. Colson later followed Coach Askew to New Mexico State University where he played basketball from 1954-56. Under Askew, Colson served as a starting guard on the 1955-56 squad that put together wins over New Mexico, UTEP, Tennessee, Arizona, Arizona State and Texas Tech on the way to finishing the season with a 16-7 overall record. After graduating from New Mexico State in 1956 and returning to his hometown for one year, Colson found himself in Las Cruces once again. Colson taught at Court Jr. High School from 1957-60 before taking over as the junior varsity basketball coach at Las Cruces High School from 1960-64. Colson then departed Las Cruces for just one year as he served as an assistant basketball coach and head track coach at Hardin Simmons University under future New Mexico State legend Lou Henson. Once again, Colson gravitated back to The City of Crosses to become the first head coach at Mayfield High School. After leading the Trojan program for three years, Colson began his Aggie coaching career in 1968 as he rejoined Lou Henson, becoming the assistant coach and Assistant Athletic Director at NM State. In 1969-70, Colson and Henson took the program to all-time heights when they led the Aggies to a 27-3 overall record and a berth in the Final Four in the 1970 NCAA Tournament. Despite this representing the Aggies' most successful season in program history to this day, Colson's greatest contributions to NM State Athletics had yet to come. Colson took over as the Director of Athletics at New Mexico State following the departure of Lou Henson in 1975. Colson oversaw the athletic department for 11 years (1975-86). Under Colson's leadership, the Aggie facilities experienced the greatest growth in school history as he spearheaded the construction of Aggie Memorial Stadium, the Presley Askew Baseball Field, the NM State Softball Complex and new facilities for tennis and track. During his tenure, Colson witnessed nine Aggie and Roadrunner teams win nine conference championships while helping establish attendance records in both football and basketball. Thanks to his efforts as an administrator and Athletic Director at New Mexico State, Colson was inducted into the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. Colson is survived by his loving wife, Evelyn, his son, Louie Keith Colson, his daughters Sally Johnson, Martha Akers and Mary Jones, his 13 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Former New Mexico State basketball coach, administrator Keith Colson, passes away