Sport(s) | Football |
---|---|
Biographical details | |
Born | April 29, 1934 |
Playing career | |
1950s | Mount Union |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1963–1968 | Mentor HS (OH) |
1969–1973 | Miami (OH) (assistant) |
1974–1977 | Miami (OH) |
1978–1987 | North Carolina |
1988–1990 | Kent State |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 113–77–4 (college) 50–9–1 (high school) |
Bowls | 6–2 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
3 MAC (1974–1975, 1977) 1 ACC (1980) |
|
Awards | |
MAC Coach of the Year (1974) ACC Coach of the Year (1980) |
|
Dick Crum (born April 29, 1934) is a former American football player and coach. He served as head coach at Miami University (1974–1977), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1978–1987), and Kent State University (1988–1990), compiling a career college football record of 113–77–4. Crum is a 1957 graduate of Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio and received a master's degree from Case Western Reserve University.
Crum played football, mostly as a backup, at both Muskingum College and Mount Union College before graduating from the latter in 1957. After graduation, Crum was a teacher and assistant football coach at several high schools in Ohio, including Boardman, Sandusky, and Warren Harding. Crum's first head coaching job was at Mentor High School in 1963 where he compiled a 50–9–1 record over six years. He moved to the college ranks in 1969 when he was hired as an assistant coach by Bill Mallory at Miami University.
When Mallory left for Colorado in 1974, Crum succeeded him as head coach at Miami, a post he held until 1977. He orchestrated several upset wins including victories over Kentucky in 1974, Purdue in 1975, and Indiana in 1977. Crum had three winning seasons in four years and won the Mid-American Conference three times. In his first two years, he led the Miami to the Tangerine Bowl twice, where they beat Georgia in 1974 and South Carolina in 1975. Those two Miami teams ranked in the final AP Poll at #10 in 1974 and #12 in 1975. In 1976, Miami's performance fell dramatically with a 3–8 finish. The team rebounded the next year with a 10–1 record. After the 1977 season, Crum accepted the head coaching position at North Carolina and was replaced by Tom Reed. During his four years at Miami, Crum developed future NFL standouts Rob Carpenter and Sherman Smith, future Miami and Northwestern head coach Randy Walker, and former Illinois head coach Ron Zook. Crum finished his stint at Miami with a record of 34–10–1.