NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 national title winning head coaches

There’s plenty of hardware in Denny Crum’s proverbial trophy case, all earned through an impressive coaching career. He played a role in multiple titles at UCLA and led Louisville to a couple of their own during his 30 years with the Cardinals. The Hall of Famer made his mark on college basketball with his in-game coaching and talented defensive strategies.

He played college ball at Pierce College in Los Angeles before transferring to play for John Wooden at UCLA. After a brief stint with the Bruins, his head coaching career began back at Pierce before inevitably making his way back to the Bruins.

He was Wooden’s top assistant for three seasons, each of which ended in national championships. He learned a lot under Wooden and got a chance to display these talents, taking the head coaching job at Louisville in 1971.

For 30 years, Crum developed the Cardinals into a national power. Names like Darrell Griffith and Pervis Ellison shined under Crum, who led Louisville to six Final Fours during his tenure.

His very first Louisville team made the Final Four in 1972, while national championships would come in 1980 and 1986. He built an incredible legacy at Louisville, consistently dominating in the Metro Conference during the 1980s and early 1990s.

There were chances for Crum to return to his alma mater at UCLA, but he stayed and built Louisville into a national power that always seemed to be contending for championships.

Winning a pair of titles with completely different rosters was an impressive feat. Crum had no issue racking up wins with the Cardinals. His career wasn’t overshadowed by controversy; Crum simply gave coaching his all and put Louisville in a position to win every single night.