Denny Crum

Denny Crum (1937-2023)

Teams coached: Louisville Cardinals
Louisville record: 675-295 (.696)
Overall record^: 675-295 (.696)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  2  (1980, 1986)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  23  (1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  16  (1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  6  (1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986)
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  3  (1973, 1976, 1985)
• Metro Regular Season Champion:  12  (1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994)
• Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion:  3  (1972, 1974, 1975)
• Metro Tournament Champion:  11  (1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995)
• Helms Foundation National Championships:  1  (1980)

Awards:

• Sporting News Coach of the Year:  2  (1983, 1986)
• Conference USA Coach of the Year:  1  (1996)
• Missouri Valley Coach of the Year:  1  (1973)
• John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award (2002)
• NABC Golden Anniversary Award (2013)
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1994)
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1971-2001	Louisville
1963-1971	UCLA (asst)
1959-1963	Los Angeles Pierce College
1958-1959	UCLA (freshmen)

Denny Crum Facts

• Denzel Edwin Crum
• Born March 2, 1937
• Died May 9, 2023
• Hometown: San Fernando, California
• Alma Mater: University of California, Los Angeles (BA, 1958)
• Played for legendary coach John Wooden at UCLA 1956-58 and served as the Bruins’ freshmen coach 1958-59
• First head coaching job was a four-year run at Los Angeles Pierce College (CA), where he had previously spent two years as a player before transferring to UCLA
• Returned to UCLA as an assistant coach to Wooden for eight seasons, during which the Bruins won seven NCAA titles
• Began his legendary 30-year tenure at Louisville in 1971, leading the Cardinals to the NCAA Final Four in two of his first four seasons at the helm
  • Hired by long-time Cardinals coach and athletic director Peck Hickman
  • Won two NCAA titles, went to six Final Fours, 16 Sweet Sixteens, 23 NCAA Tournaments and three NITs
  • Retired from coaching in 2001 on his 64th birthday
• Paired up with former Kentucky head coach Joe B. Hall to co-host a radio show titled The Joe B. and Denny Show on up to 21 stations across the state of Kentucky from 2004 through 2014
• Also worked with Team USA Basketball, coaching the team to gold in the 1977 World University Games and silver in the 1987 Pan American Games
• Crum passed away in May 2023 at the age of 86

Denny Crum Coaching Tree

• Scott Davenport (Bellarmine)
• Jerry Eaves (Simmons College, North Carolina A&T)
• Wade Houston (Tennessee)
• Todd Howard (IUPUI)
• Dana Kirk (Memphis State, VCU, Tampa)
• Kenny Payne (Louisville)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only