Denny Crum's custom granite headstone dumped into Red Sea by Houthi pirates

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Hall of Fame Louisville men's basketball coach Denny Crum died last May, and his gravesite still sits empty in Cave Hill Cemetery, an empty space in the grass beside Muhammad Ali awaiting a proper memorial.

It should have been in place by now. His widow, Susan Sweeney Crum, spent months making sure the custom granite headstone was made exactly how she envisioned. Earlier this year, after it was handcrafted in India, it was loaded on a cargo ship en route to the top of hillside on the most famous corner of Louisville's most famous cemetery.

But it didn't make it. The elaborate monument now sits at the bottom of the Red Sea.

Denny Crum's Gravesite — Denny Crum's gravesite beside Muhammad Ali at Cave Hill Cemetery. July 26, 2024. *(WDRB Photo)*

'He probably chuckled'

Sweeney Crum wants people walking through Cave Hill Cemetery to know why her husband's gravesite remains empty.

"I don't want people thinking we just don't care," she said.

In fact, she spent hours and hours making sure her husband's gravesite represented the man she loved for decades. It was a massive, ornate piece of granite fit for the man.

"The granite we have is called India Red, which means it actually came from India," Sweeney Crum said. "The monument was on the way over here, but now, it's at the bottom of the Red Sea."

She's not kidding. After months of planning for the perfect way to honor Crum's life, the monument was finished overseas. But as tensions between Israel and Hamas heated up, so did Houthi pirate attacks on cargo ships traveling nearby waters.

Sometime early this year, the ship carrying Crum's monument was a target.

"Their aim was to stop commercial and government barging and shipping through the Red Sea in the Suez Canal," Sweeney Crum said.

The monument paying tribute to the man in the red coat is at the bottom of the Red Sea, and, maybe, there's something poetic about that.

"If you've got to go somewhere, that's the place to do it," she said.

Denny Crum and Susan Sweeney Crum — Denny and his wife Susan Sweeney Crum. Photo courtesy of Susan Sweeney Crum.

Crum famously said "Don't major in the minors," a slick phrase for his players to forget the past and focus on what's ahead. And, for his widow seeking the final piece of closure, that's poetry in motion.

"He probably chuckled and probably told himself, 'Guys, you can't sweat it. Don't worry about it. Don't major in the minors. It'll get done sooner or later,'" Sweeney Crum said. "He was good about letting things roll off his back."

It's been more than a year since Crum left Louisville. But his spirit lives on.

"It was my birthday last month," Sweeney Crum said. "I came out here (at her home), and there were cardinals outside on the porch. So ... I still feel like he’s here with me."

Sweeney Crum worked with the manufacturer overseas to recreate and finish the monument. It's identical to the one that now sits at the bottom for the Red Sea. But this one will make it to Cave Hill.

She confirmed it has been delivered to Kentucky and is being engraved here. It features the red jacket logo to honor Crum that is also featured on the KFC Yum! Center court. So, by the end of the summer, the proper memorial will finally be complete, Crum's burial site featuring a beautiful monument beside Ali and Crum's grandson, Daniel.

"That part kind of seems appropriate," Sweeney Crum said.