Howard Royce Crittenden (March 3, 1933 – August 30, 2013) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player, best known for his college career at

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...

and in the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(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 Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...

, where over his four-year career Crittenden scored 2,019

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

(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 A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two ...

. 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

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 pl ...

. However, in a move not uncommon in the early days of American professional basketball, he instead signed with

Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc., also known as Cat, is an American construction, mining and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the ' ...

to play for their AAU team the Peoria Caterpillars. 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 Metropolis is a city and the county seat in Massac County, Illinois, United States. It is located by the Ohio River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,969, down from 6,537 in 2010 United States census, 2 ...

, 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 S ...

Murray, Kentucky Murray is a Home rule in the United States, home rule-class city in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States. It is the County seat, seat of Calloway County and the 19th-largest list of Ky cities, city in Kentucky. The city's population was 17,3 ...

. He later entered administration at Calloway County High School and

Henderson County High School Henderson County High School (HCHS) is the only high school in Henderson County, Kentucky and is among the largest high schools in Kentucky, with roughly 2000 bbl students enrolled in grades 9–12 each year. History Henderson County High Schoo ...

Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,781 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville–Henderson, IN–KY Combined Statis ...

. Crittenden was also an assistant coach at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

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