LOUISVILLE, Ky. — October 31, 2023
The University of Louisville men’s basketball program is set to honor legendary head coach Denny Crum, who passed away earlier this year, with a series of tributes at the regular season opener next week.
The Cardinals will honor the Hall of Fame coach before and during their contest against UMBC at 7 p.m. ET Monday at the KFC Yum! Center.
Crum, who won two NCAA Championships while serving as UofL’s men’s basketball coach for 30 years (1971-2001), passed away May 9 at the age of 86.
Louisville will recognize Crum with a moment of silence before Monday’s game, and will also host a special dedication for his seat at the KFC Yum! Center at halftime. Fans are encouraged to arrive early Monday and remain in their seats at halftime for these tributes.
Crum’s seat in Section 106 will be permanently changed to black and marked in his honor to distinguish it from the rest of the venue’s red seating. This gesture is similar to one previously complete for one of Crum’s mentors, John Wooden, at UCLA.
Crum’s family will be on hand for the dedication and will join the ceremony from the court bearing his name UofL players will have patches displaying Crum’s iconic red jacket on all of their uniforms this season, while the coaching staff will wear pins in his honor Monday night. The players will also wear a special shooting shirt pregame highlighting some of Crum’s most notable accomplishments.
Video tributes to Crum are planned throughout the evening, and more information will also be shared on the upcoming release of the Denny Crum Legacy Collection of apparel and other items, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Denny Crum Foundation.
Tickets for Monday’s game can be purchased at the following link: https://uofl.me/3QDtsfH
Crum directed Louisville to the 1980 and the 1986 NCAA Championships, ranking him as one of only 14 coaches in NCAA history to win two or more titles. Six times he guided the Cardinals into the NCAA Final Four, including four times in the decade of the ’80s. Only five coaches all-time coached more Final Four teams than Crum.
The man admirably labeled “Cool Hand Luke” by former commentator Al McGuire was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 9, 1994.
