LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Denny Crum won seven of the 11 games his University of Louisville men’s basketball teams played on his birthday over his 30-season coaching career.
There was a 15-point loss to Memphis State on March 2, 1972, his debut season. No worries. That Crum team finished its work in the NCAA Final Four.
There was also a one-point win over Memphis State when Milt Wagner swished a pair of free throws in the final second of a game at Freedom Hall March 2, 1986. That Crum team beat Mike Krzyzewski and Duke for the national title.
Memories, joy and love flowed Wednesday afternoon at Roosters restaurant on Shelbyville Road. More than 100 U of L fans — as well as several Kentucky, Indiana and Western Kentucky fans — gathered to celebrate Crum’s 85th birthday.
“Pretty remarkable,” Crum said with a wink.
Ask Darrell Griffith, the dynamo who led the Cards and Crum to the school’s first national title in 1980, why people still stand in line for Crum’s autograph.
“Coach is the prototype coach,” Griffith said. “They don’t make them like coach any more. You’ve got another one leaving in Coach K (who will retire at Duke after this season).
“Coach Crum was the type of coach that everybody gravitated to. He was just so personable, as you can see him now. He opened up this program to the city. Everybody was welcome. People feel that. That’s why you see so many people here today.”
Louisville Hall of Fame basketball coach Denny Crum celebrated his 85th birthday with friends and some former players with a Potato Soup fundr…
People made donations to eat Crum’s signature potato soup, a recipe that includes sausage. They snapped pictures. They collected autographs. They sang “Happy Birthday” and enjoyed cake and cookies. They asked him about his horse that raced in New Orleans 10 days ago as well as the trip he took to Africa last summer.
Everybody had a favorite memory, game or moment. Under Crum, the Cardinals truly became a national program, a team that could attract 19,000 people every time they played.
The celebration lasted nearly three hours.
More than $7,000 was generated for the scholarship fund that has been Crum’s passion for nearly three decades. There are currently 100 University of Louisville students who benefit from the $1,000 scholarships that Crum awards. Even at 85, Crum is working to raise the final $400,000 of the $2 million needed to endow all those scholarship. Judy Cowgill, Crum’s administrative assistant for most of his U of L career, said Crum has been reading applications for the Class of 2026. He's still engaged.
“It’s been that way from the beginning, when there were only eight students,” Cowgill said. “He’s always been very loyal to the university and the scholarship fund.”
“That’s just who Coach Crum is,” said Jonathan Israel, senior director of development at U of L. “That scholarship fund has always meant a lot to him.”
But mostly, everybody wanted to make certain that Crum understood that they understand everything Crum has contributed to the Cardinal basketball program, to the university and to the community.
The 675 victories, 15 regular season conference championships, six trips to the Final Four and the national titles in 1980 and 1986 are the items that sent Crum directly into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1994.
But it has been the tireless work Crum has done in the community — for U of L as well as a string of charities — that separated Crum from other coaches who have passed through town.
Crum famously did not pass through town. He came here in 1971 after sitting next to John Wooden at UCLA. Crum directed the Cardinals to the Final Four in his first season and famously quipped, “I thought you’re supposed to do that every year.”
Crum still enjoys that line. He repeated it with another wink Wednesday. But Crum learned not to view Louisville as a connecting flight to a sexier position, including UCLA. He could have returned to UCLA when that was the sexiest job in all of college athletics.
Crum came. He stayed. He became as much a part of the fabric of Louisville as the Churchill Downs stretch drive or the Great Steamboat Race.
As expected, a string of Crum’s former players enjoyed the party. There were four guys from Crum’s 1980 title team — Griffith, Jerry Eaves, Wiley Brown and Roger Burkman — as well as Milt Wagner and Robbie Valentine of the 1986 champions and Reece Gaines, one of the last players Crum recruited.
“He’s like a father figure, a big part of the family,” Burkman said. “My kids look up to him as a grandfather. ...
“... the community loves Coach Crum. You think about all the different things he’s done over the years: He’s gotten former players to participate in charity events. He’s always willing to sign an autograph or take a picture.”
Make a note of this: The ultimate sign of respect was shown by the presence of a player who never played a minute for Crum.
Akoy Agau signed with Louisville in 2013 when Rick Pitino was the face of Louisville basketball. He stayed two years, transferred to Georgetown and then to SMU. Knee injuries pushed his career off track. Agau returned to Louisville in 2018-19, the first season Chris Mack was the Louisville coach.
Crum did not coach Agau. But it was important for Agau to attend the party Wednesday, to shake Crum’s hand and join the group that sang “Happy Birthday.”
“From my time at Louisville I know what Coach Crum means to the program,” Agau said. “Sometimes he would come to our practices and he was always at our games. It was important for me to show my appreciation. He’s a special man.”
Consider the special 85th birthday party confirmation of that.
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