Denny Crum was the longtime head basketball coach for the University of Louisville, leading the Cardinals to two NCAA championships.
- Died: May 9, 2023 (Who else died on May 9?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Louisville, Kentucky at the age of 86.
- We invite you to share condolences for Denny Crum in our Guest Book.
Denny Crum’s legacy
Crum played college basketball at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden (1910–2010) and immediately began his coaching career after graduation with UCLA’s freshman basketball team. He went on to coach at Los Angeles Pierce College, where he was named head coach in 1963. After returning to UCLA to spend a few years as an assistant coach under Wooden, Crum moved to the school where he would cement his legacy.
Crum was hired as head coach at Louisville in 1971, helming a team that hadn’t been in the Final Four in more than a decade and had never won a national championship. He led the Cardinals to the Final Four in his first season, and it took him less than 10 years to make the team NCAA champions. They won their first championship against UCLA in 1980, and they took the title again in 1986, emerging victorious over Duke University. It was their last of six Final Four appearances under Crum.
Crum was known for the rolled-up program he held in one hand during games, often gesturing with it. He remained with Louisville for 30 years before his 2001 retirement. In later years, he co-hosted “The Joe B. and Denny Show,” a popular talk radio program. He was a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Notable quote
“My father had been a good athlete in high school. He always said ‘Don’t major in minors’. In other words pay attention to what you’re doing now and what you are trying to do ahead. Don’t worry about what’s already been done in the past. That’s not going to help you. He just said ‘don’t major in minors.’” —from a 2019 interview with Shafin Khan
Tributes to Denny Crum
Full obituary: Louisville Courier Journal
