Louisville Celebrates the Life of Hall of Fame Coach Denny Crum

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On what was a day of mourning for those in and around University of Louisville, they still were able to find joy.

Former Louisville coach Denny Crum was laid to rest on Monday. The Hall of Fame head coach passed away on Tuesday at the age of 86, with thousands gathering at Southeast Christian Church for his visitation and funeral to say their final goodbyes.

Later that day, just as many flocked to the KFC Yum! Center for a celebration of Crum’s life.

The floor of the Yum! Center - a court which bears his name - was arranged to mirror the sideline of Freedom Hall, where Crum spent 30 years coaching the Cardinals. A chair with a basketball, his signature rolled up program and red suit coat placed upon it was featured on one end of the center stage, while a jersey donning the No. 30 for his three decades at Louisville was featured on the other side.

A myriad of important figures from the Cardinals spoke to the thousands and family, friends and fans in attendance. Former players Billy Thompson, Junior Bridgeman and Darrell Griffith took to the podium to both pay their respects to Crum and regale the crowd with stories from his era. Current head coach Kenny Payne spoke as well.

“What he did, which was more important than basketball, more important than winning games, he changed the city of Louisville,” Bridgeman said. “He changed the fans of the University of Louisville, and he made Louisville a national power."

The Celebration of Life for Crum also featured several video tributes from notable figures throughout the world of college basketball. Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, former Kansas and UNC head coach Roy Williams, former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins, current Kentucky head coach John Calipari, former UCLA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plus ESPN analysts Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale all lended their condolences. Former UCLA legend Bill Walton also wrote a letter, which was read aloud by master of ceremonies Paul Rogers.

The night was capped off by a speech from Susan Sweeney Crum, who was Denny’s wife of 22 years. She thanked everyone for their condolences and helping celebrate his life, as well as the support he had received over the years.

“He was my husband, but he was all of ours. He belonged to this whole community."

An assistant coach under the legendary John Wooden, Crum left the West Coast to take the Louisville job in 1971, where he would remain until his retirement in 2001. During his 30-year tenure in the Derby City, he collected a 675-295 overall record, and led the Cardinals to 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, six Final Fours, as well as the 1980 and 1986 national championships. Crum was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.

(Photo via University of Louisville Athletics)

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