Denny Crum, who won two NCAA men’s basketball championships and built Louisville into one of the 1980s’ dominant programs during a Hall of Fame coaching career, died Tuesday. He was 86.
Crum had a front-row seat in March 2022 for the introduction of one of his former players, Kenny Payne, as Cardinals coach. Payne said then that he would rely on Crum’s insight in his first head coaching job; and there were plenty of the Hall of Famer’s other pupils to not only support Payne, but enjoy another meeting with their mentor and friend on and off the court.
“Today is a sad day for me personally, as well as the basketball world," Payne said in a statement. “My thoughts go through all the lessons that he taught, not just to me, but every player he ever came in contact with. Those lessons are still relevant today. We were so blessed to have him in our lives. We must keep his memory alive.Former Cardinals great Junior Bridgeman echoed Payne on Crum's impact on generations of players.
A native of San Fernando, California, Crum played guard for two seasons at Los Angeles’ Pierce Junior College before transferring to UCLA in 1956. The Bruins went 38-14 in Crum’s two seasons as a player.Wooden hired Crum as his assistant and chief recruiter in 1968, when the Bruins were in the midst of their dynastic run to 10 NCAA championships.
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