Later this month, a storied piece of University of Louisville history will be demolished.
Crawford Gym is coming down to make way for a new classroom building.
The 53-year-old structure was the site of Cardinal basketball practices and legendary summer pickup games that drew some of the area’s top players. Thousands of students competed in other intramural sports in Crawford.
Later this week, Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum and some former Cardinals will share their memories of Crawford during an open house.
I spoke with Crum about Crawford Gym. He says because of its modest appearance, the gym wasn’t used as a recruiting tool.
"Some of the most competitive full-court games that I've ever seen took place right there in Crawford Gym," Crum said.
U of L is selling pieces of the Crawford Gym floor and auctioning other items from the building, with proceeds going to the Denny Crum Scholarship Fund.
"I know the court wasn't anything special, but it had the right dimensions, and then you had the two or three rows of bleacher seats around two sides of it — actually around three, but you didn't get a retainer or anything in the middle," Crum said. "You just played what was tough right there, and that's what you got.
"They came from everywhere to play with our guys."
Listen to the full interview in the player above.
