Howard Royce Crittenden (March 3, 1933 – August 30, 2013) was an American basketball player, best known for his college career at

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...

and in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

High school and college career

Crittenden first gained fame as a high school player for the Cuba High School Cubs who, despite an enrollment of only around 100 students, captured the 1952 Kentucky state championship, defeating the much larger Louisville Manual High. Crittenden was named all-state his last two years and a high school All-American in his senior season. He then moved to Murray State, where over his four-year career Crittenden scored 2,019

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

(19.4 per game), graduating as the Racers' all-time leading scorer (since eclipsed). Crittenden was the first player in school history to eclipse the 2,000 point mark – and the only one to do so without the benefit of the three-point shot. Crittenden also holds the school record for free throws made with 731, a mark that still ranks among the best in NCAA history. Crittenden was inducted into the Murray State athletic Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Kentucky basketball Hall of Fame in 1972.

AAU career and later life

After graduating in 1956, Crittenden was drafted by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in the tenth round of the

1956 NBA draft The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pla ...

. However, in a move not uncommon in the early days of American professional basketball, he instead signed with Caterpillar Inc. to play for their AAU team the

Peoria Caterpillars The Caterpillar Diesels (also later known as the Peoria Cats or Caterpillars) was an amateur basketball team located in Peoria, Illinois and sponsored and run by the Caterpillar Inc. company. The Caterpillars were one of the most successful tea ...

. Crittenden thrived in industrial basketball, being named an AAU All-American in three of his four seasons with the club. Crittenden led the Cats to two AAU titles in 1958 and 1960. After his playing days were over, Crittenden became a coach and administrator. He was head basketball coach at Metropolis High School in Metropolis, Illinois, and

Calloway County High School Calloway County High School is a public high school located in Murray, Kentucky, United States. The school was formed from the consolidation of six high schools from across the county: Hazel High School, Lynn Grove High School, Kirksey High Scho ...

Murray, Kentucky Murray is a home rule-class city in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of Calloway County and the 19th-largest city in Kentucky. The city's population was 17,741 during the 2010 U.S. census, and its micropolitan area's po ...

. He later entered administration at Calloway County High School and Henderson County High School in Henderson, Kentucky. Crittenden was also an assistant coach at the University of Missouri during the 1965–66 season. Crittenden died on August 30, 2013, at his home in Murray, Kentucky.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crittenden, Howie 1933 births 2013 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Kentucky Basketball players from Kentucky Guards (basketball) High school basketball coaches in Illinois High school basketball coaches in Kentucky Missouri Tigers men's basketball coaches Murray State Racers men's basketball players New York Knicks draft picks People from Graves County, Kentucky Peoria Caterpillars players