A quick note.... Per the AD department (as of yesterday when I called) you will need a ticket. The tickets are free but they (AD) had not yet set up ticket process yet.
Memorial services have been scheduled for former Louisville men's basketball coach Denny Crum, who died Tuesday at age 86.
A celebration of life will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday at the KFC Yum! Center, on the court that bears the Hall of Famer's name and signature. A visitation will take place earlier in the day Monday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Southeast Christian Church, on Blankenbaker Road in Louisville, and a funeral service will follow at the church beginning at 2 p.m. Crum will be buried after in a ceremony reserved for family and close friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking people to consider donating to the Denny Crum Scholarship Fund — which awards U of L scholarships to individuals from the Louisville area who have demonstrated leadership, community service and academic achievement — at DennyCrum.com, or to another charity.
Crum's death prompted an outpouring of love and memories from those who knew the coach personally and those whose U of L fandom is rooted in the foundation of success he laid across three decades of leading the Cardinals. Hired in 1971 to succeed coach John Dromo, the San Fernando, California, native reached six Final Fours, won two national championships and posted a 69.6% career winning percentage (675-295) before retiring in 2001.
C.L. Brown:Denny Crum elevated Louisville basketball and made it OK for Cardinals to dream big
Remembering Denny Crum:Legendary Louisville basketball coach, Hall of Fame member dies at 86
"I'll probably never catch up with all the posts and messages, but I just want to say thank you to all of you for your kind words and condolences and love for Denny," Crum's wife, Susan Sweeney Crum, wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. "I knew the day was drawing near, but still did not expect to wake up this morning, and then watch him take his last breaths less than two hours later.
"He has been such a fighter, and the last five months he has kept us on our toes, because when he seemed down, he bounced back. He was just so strong, or maybe just that competitive! So, I really thought he might have another week in him. But, I also know he was in a lot of pain, and life as it had become was getting so hard, so I am comforted by knowing he is finally whole and healthy again, and seeing Jesus face to face. And with quite the welcoming committee of dear friends and family to greet him."
Crum and Sweeney Crum, a former reporter and anchor, married in 2001. He is also survived by three children from two previous marriages — Cynthia and Steve, from his first, and Scott from his second.
"I lost the love of my life, and our community lost a good man who loved his adopted home town," Sweeney Crum said. "My life has been better for having him in it."
'He supported all the sports':How Denny Crum left lasting impact on U of L football, other Cards' programs
Crum suffered two strokes in his later years, the second coming in 2019, but remained present around the program and community he adopted as his home. He was there to welcome Kenny Payne, one of his former players from the 1986 championship team, when he arrived in town to be introduced as U of L's head coach in March 2022, and sat courtside in a wheelchair for at least one of the Cardinals' games at the Yum! Center this past season.
In a statement released after Crum's death, Payne said his former coach was "a true treasure" whose memory must be kept alive.
"My thoughts go through all the lessons that he taught, not just to me, but every player he ever came in contact with. Those lessons are still relevant today," Payne said. "We were so blessed to have him in our lives."
Memorial services have been scheduled for former Louisville men's basketball coach Denny Crum, who died Tuesday at age 86.
A celebration of life will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday at the KFC Yum! Center, on the court that bears the Hall of Famer's name and signature. A visitation will take place earlier in the day Monday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Southeast Christian Church, on Blankenbaker Road in Louisville, and a funeral service will follow at the church beginning at 2 p.m. Crum will be buried after in a ceremony reserved for family and close friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking people to consider donating to the Denny Crum Scholarship Fund — which awards U of L scholarships to individuals from the Louisville area who have demonstrated leadership, community service and academic achievement — at DennyCrum.com, or to another charity.
Crum's death prompted an outpouring of love and memories from those who knew the coach personally and those whose U of L fandom is rooted in the foundation of success he laid across three decades of leading the Cardinals. Hired in 1971 to succeed coach John Dromo, the San Fernando, California, native reached six Final Fours, won two national championships and posted a 69.6% career winning percentage (675-295) before retiring in 2001.
C.L. Brown:Denny Crum elevated Louisville basketball and made it OK for Cardinals to dream big
Remembering Denny Crum:Legendary Louisville basketball coach, Hall of Fame member dies at 86
"I'll probably never catch up with all the posts and messages, but I just want to say thank you to all of you for your kind words and condolences and love for Denny," Crum's wife, Susan Sweeney Crum, wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. "I knew the day was drawing near, but still did not expect to wake up this morning, and then watch him take his last breaths less than two hours later.
"He has been such a fighter, and the last five months he has kept us on our toes, because when he seemed down, he bounced back. He was just so strong, or maybe just that competitive! So, I really thought he might have another week in him. But, I also know he was in a lot of pain, and life as it had become was getting so hard, so I am comforted by knowing he is finally whole and healthy again, and seeing Jesus face to face. And with quite the welcoming committee of dear friends and family to greet him."
Crum and Sweeney Crum, a former reporter and anchor, married in 2001. He is also survived by three children from two previous marriages — Cynthia and Steve, from his first, and Scott from his second.
"I lost the love of my life, and our community lost a good man who loved his adopted home town," Sweeney Crum said. "My life has been better for having him in it."
'He supported all the sports':How Denny Crum left lasting impact on U of L football, other Cards' programs
Crum suffered two strokes in his later years, the second coming in 2019, but remained present around the program and community he adopted as his home. He was there to welcome Kenny Payne, one of his former players from the 1986 championship team, when he arrived in town to be introduced as U of L's head coach in March 2022, and sat courtside in a wheelchair for at least one of the Cardinals' games at the Yum! Center this past season.
In a statement released after Crum's death, Payne said his former coach was "a true treasure" whose memory must be kept alive.
"My thoughts go through all the lessons that he taught, not just to me, but every player he ever came in contact with. Those lessons are still relevant today," Payne said. "We were so blessed to have him in our lives."
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