Lifelong Tiger fans will have to find another coach to hate. After weeks of rumors, Louisville head basketball coach Denny Crum announced last week that he was retiring after 30 years at the school.
Crum coached his final regular season game Saturday against a fitting opponent, as the Cardinals defeated their old Tiger rivals 65-56. Crum takes a 675-294 into this week's Conference USA Tournament at Freedom Hall in Louisville.
Crum has guided Louisville to two NCAA championships, 1980 and 1986, and his 23 NCAA Tournament appearances rank him second all-time. He has also taken the Cardinals to six Final Fours.
Louisville and Crum have been long-time rivals of The University of Memphis, dating back to the early 1970s and the Missouri Valley Conference. Thirty years and two conferences later, the two schools still share a bitter rivalry.
Memphis' defection to The Great Midwest Conference and the placing of the two teams in opposite divisions in C-USA have lessened the rivalry over the past few years, but fans still have memories of "Crum's Bums."
Former Tiger radio announcer Jack Eaton said he broadcasted 49 games between the two schools, with Louisville winning 30 games. He said it will be hard not seeing Crum on the court in the future.
"It will not be the same without Denny Crum," Eaton said. "The rivalry between Memphis and Louisville is over as far as I'm concerned."
Crum is the only active coach to be a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Some fans at Saturday's game voiced their displeasure towards the Louisville athletic department, accusing them of forcing Crum to step down.
"I guessed they probably could have handled it better, but Denny said at the news conference that he went out on his own terms," Eaton said.
Louisville ended the regular season with a 12-18 overall record. The Cardinals are 5-2 against teams in their half of the C-USA tournament bracket, and with the home court advantage and emotion, Louisville could be a dangerous team.
The Cardinals open play against UAB on Wednesday afternoon.
