LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The community celebrated the life and legacy of Hall of Fame coach and former University of Louisville coach Denny Crum.
A special celebration was held in front of family, friends and fans of the coach at the KFC Yum! Center Tuesday night.
Coach Crum impacted a lot of people across the spectrum of basketball, and some who could not appear in person left a special message via video.
Dick Vitale – ESPN basketball analyst
"You talk about greatness. You talk about being a legend. You talk about being an icon. So many times those terms are used so loosely, but they apply to Denny Crum."
Jay Bilas – ESPN basketball analyst
"Maybe the most gracious and the most inviting and inclusive coach that I was ever around was Denny Crum. I will never forget Denny Crum. I will never forget his legacy."
Roy Williams – Former North Carolina coach and Hall of Famer
"I hope that everyone will think of Denny Crum as a big-time coach, a big-time person."
John Calipari – University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach
"As a person, he was kind, good hearted man. A good man – treated me like family. We're all going to miss him."
Mike Krzyzewki – Former Duke Basketball coach and Hall of Famer
"In my last year of coaching, Denny honored me and as he was honoring me, I was thinking 'Wow. I'm getting honored by one of the coaches that I have respected for my entire career.'"
Bobby Cremins – Former Georgia Tech basketball coach
"Everybody knows he was a great coach, but he had an incredible demeanor. He is truly one of the great legends in the history of our game."
An estimated 8,700 people attended the celebration of life for Crum and it also featured speeches from former players Junior Bridgeman, Billy Thompson, Darrell Griffith and current UofL coach Kenny Payne.
Crum's wife, Susan Sweeney Crum, also shared a special message.
"He was my husband, but he was all of ours. He belonged to this whole community," she said.
Crum was laid to rest at Cave Hill Cemetery earlier in the day.
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