Pirates Dump Louisville Coach’s Headstone Into the Red Sea

On May 9th, 2023, college basketball lost one of its legendary figures when former University of Louisville head coach Denny Crum passed away at the age of 86.

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, Crum finished his career in 2001 after coach the Louisville Cardinals to 675 wins, including six Final Four appearances and two National Championships.

On May 15th, 2023, KFC Yum! Center hosted a celebration of the legendary coach's life and then he was laid to rest in a burial plot next to Muhammad Ali's in Cave Hill Cemetery. But should you visit, you will not see a headstone. Coach Crum's custom-made headstone, carved out of India Red granite, was placed on a commercial vessel headed for the United States. However, strife in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas intervened.

Due to the conflict, Houthi pirates--an ongoing threat monitored by the State Department--have become more active and have been targeting commercial and cargo vessels in the region. The one on which Denny Crum's headstone was traveling was one of those vessels.

Although the late coach's widow, Susan Sweeney Crum, wants to make sure everyone knows why there's a glaringly empty place in Cave Hill Cemetery where her husband's memorial ought to be, she HAS seen the humor in the situation.

As a Louisville fan, the irony was not lost on me, either. The headstone is at the bottom of the Red Sea. Denny Crum was often seen on the sidelines in his trademark red coat.

I agree with her; there's no way he wouldn't have found this a little funny.

[SOURCE: WDRB-Louisville]