Was Denny Crum a Hall of Famer?

Legendary college basketball coach, Denny Crum was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. He was also an inaugural inductee of Pierce College’s athletic hall of fame in 2010.

He was also named the Sporting News Coach of the Year, the Basketball Weekly Coach of the Year, and the Basketball Weekly Man of the Year in 1980.

In 2002, Crum received the Legends of the Coaching Award given by the John R. Wooden Award Committee. He was named after Louisville’s home floor at Freedom Hall on February 7, 2007.

Crum was hired as the head coach by the University of Louisville in 1971. He took over from John Dromo and made the team very successful. With his effort and training, he made the Cardinals one of the most successful college basketball teams.

He took the team to their first-ever NCAA Final Four, however, he lost to John Wooden’s UCLA. He went on to lead the team to five more finals in 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1986. He is one of the coaches who has the title of being the seventh all-time appearance in the final four.

Crum won the NCAA Tournament championships on March 24, 1980, finally defeating UCLA 59-54.  He also defeated the Duke 72-69 for a second title led. He is one of the 11 coaches to win multiple national championships.

He died at the age of 86 on May 9, 2023. No cause of death was given.