They each have coached NCAA championship teams; they each have reached final fours; but for Joe B. Hall and Denny Crum that’s almost where the two diverge; and yet at some point they reunite somehow for The Joe B. and Denny Show.
This is the first time sports legends of the ‘Ville has ever featured a show, but this WKRD program is not an ordinary sports talk program; in fact if the two basketball legends even bring up sports it’s really incidental.
No, this show based out of Louisville but broadcast all over the region, is really about two men with extraordinarily fascinating stories and how they relate to each other, with WHAS all-star Tony Cruise acting as moderator.
This program really is ground zero for understanding the culture of Kentucky athletics, and because of that, it has become a sports legend in its own right.
The co-hosts are both icons in college basketball; Denny Crum is a California native born out of the mold of the great John Wooden, and in 1971 upon getting the reigns as head coach of the University of Louisville Crum’s Derby City legacy was born. What followed was two NCAA championships in 1980 and 1986, four final four appearances, and twenty-six conference championships.
In addition Crum was inducted into the basketball hall of fame in 1994 and became an inductee into the college basketball hall of fame in 2006. Crum was also a player for UCLA during his college days.
Meanwhile Joe Beasman Hall was a Cynthiana, Kentucky native and as such was often vocal about how his lifelong dream came true when he became the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats. However, Kentucky was pretty psyched about the whole thing as well.
Becoming head coach at Kentucky just a year after Crum became a Card in 1972, Hall led the Cats to an NCAA Championship in 1978. In addition, under his tenure the Cats went to three final fours, and won eight regular season championships, Hall actually played for the Cats in the late 40’s in addition.
Tony Cruise has been working for WHAS for years now, currently taking the morning shift for the station.
Currently, the show airs from 10 a.m. to noon, every weekday on WKRD radio.
Image courtesy of The Joe B. and Denny Show
