BasketballIn Memoriam

Hall of Fame Louisville head coach Denny Crum has passed away at age 86

Retired head coach Denny Crum, who led the Louisville Cardinals to 23 NCAA Tournaments, six Final Fours and two National Championships in 30 seasons at the helm, passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 86. Crum was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1994 and was part of the inaugural 2006 class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Following his retirement in 2001, Crum continued to be a part of the Louisville program and community. The court at the KFC Yum! Center is named after him, as was a new on-campus residence building in 2022.

Part of the John Wooden coaching tree, Crum is originally from Southern California and played and coached at UCLA before getting hired by Louisville in 1971. He has built a solid coaching tree of his own, including current Louisville head coach Kenny Payne who was part of the 1986 Cardinals’ team that was crowned NCAA champion.

Crum won 675 games with the Cardinals, far more than any other UL head coach, and ranks in the Top 15 in all-time NCAA Tournament appearances. He won 15 conference titles (3x Missouri Valley and 12x Metro) and was named National COY in both 1983 and 1986.

 

credit to Louisville Athletics for the image