Denny Crum

Denny Crum
Crum in 2011
Biographical details
Born(1937-03-02)March 2, 1937
San Fernando, California, U.S.
DiedMay 9, 2023(2023-05-09) (aged 86)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
1955–1957Los Angeles Pierce JC
1957–1959UCLA
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1959–1961UCLA (freshmen)
1961–1964Los Angeles Pierce JC (assistant)
1964–1968Los Angeles Pierce JC
1967–1971UCLA (assistant)
1971–2001Louisville
Head coaching record
Overall675–295 (.696)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1994
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006
Medal record
Head Coach for  United States
World University Games
Gold medal – first place 1977 Sofia Head coach
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis Head coach

Denzel Edwin Crum (March 2, 1937 – May 9, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2001, compiling a 675–295 (.696) record. He guided the Cardinals to two NCAA championships (1980, 1986) and six Final Fours. Honored in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 1994, Crum was one of the major figures in the history of sports in Kentucky and in college basketball.

Crum played college ball for the UCLA Bruins under head coach John Wooden. He was later an assistant under Wooden, and the Bruins won a national championship in each of his three seasons on the staff. As the head coach at Louisville, Crum was widely credited with pioneering the now-common strategy of scheduling tough non-conference match-ups early in the season in order to prepare his teams for March's NCAA tournament, where one defeat ends the season.[3] Crum's prolific post-season play and calm demeanor earned him the monikers "Mr. March" and his most well-known nickname, "Cool Hand Luke".[4][5]

  1. ^ a b c "Missouri Valley Conference Index | College Basketball at". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  2. ^ "Denny Crum". University of Louisville. 2000. Archived from the original on February 12, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bennet_05102023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Terhune, Jim (2004). Tales from the 1980 Louisville Cardinals. Sports Publishing. p. 193. ISBN 9781582616582. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  5. ^ "Denny Crum, hall of fame coach and 2-time NCAA champion, dies at 86". NCAA.com. May 9, 2023. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.