Denny Crum
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 in 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Biographical details | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1937 San Fernando, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | May 9, 2023 (aged 86) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1955–1957 | Los Angeles Pierce JC | |||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1959 | UCLA | |||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Guard | |||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1961 | UCLA (freshmen) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1964 | Los Angeles Pierce JC (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1968 | Los Angeles Pierce JC | |||||||||||||||||
| 1967–1971 | UCLA (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1971–2001 | Louisville | |||||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | ||||||||||||||||||
| Overall | 675–295 (.696) | |||||||||||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | ||||||||||||||||||
| Championships | ||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||
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. Crum's prolific post-season play and calm demeanor earned him the monikers "Mr. March" and his most well-known nickname, "Cool Hand Luke".