Denny Crum Biography

Denzel Edwin Crum was an American college basketball coach born on March 2, 1937, and passed away on May 9, 2023. He led the University of Louisville Cardinals to two NCAA championships in 1980 and 1986 and guided the team to six Final Four appearances. Crum was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 for his contributions to college basketball. Denny Crum was a guard for the UCLA Bruins during his college career under head coach John Wooden. As head coach at Louisville, Crum implemented a strategy of scheduling strong non-conference opponents early in the season to prepare for the NCAA tournament. During his playing career at UCLA, Crum averaged seven points per game over his collegiate seasons. After graduating in 1959, Crum served as the freshman basketball coach at UCLA.