Crum, "Denny" (Denzil E.)
Basketball
b. March 2, 1937, San Fernando, CA
After attending Pierce Junior College, Crum played basketball for two years at UCLA. In 1959, he became a graduate assistant coach at the school and then returned to Pierce as head coach in 1961. His teams had an 84-40 record in eight seasons there.
Crum became John Wooden's assistant and chief recruiter at UCLA in 1968. He was also generally considered heir apparent to the head coaching job when Wooden retired, but in 1971 Crum became head coach at the University of Louisville.
Louisville was a national power throughout Crum's tenure. He achieved his 300th victory in the second game of his thirteenth season at the school, a mark surpassed only by Everett Case at North Carolina State. Although he used the zone press and fast break style he learned at UCLA, Crum generally allowed his players more freedom to operate on their own.
Crum retired after the 2001-02 season with a 675-295 record. He ranks 16th in all-time Division wins.