Crabtree to Retire Following the 2019-20 Season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mark Crabtree, who has served as the University of Louisville's men's golf coach for the last 21 seasons, has announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2019-20 season.

"It's been a great run," Crabtree said. "I've had the privilege to serve as the head men's golf coach at the University of Louisville for 21 outstanding seasons. I've had the opportunity to recruit many great student-athletes, and I'm forever grateful to be a part of their development on and off the golf course."

"Looking toward my final spring season, the 2019-20 team is a collection of some of the finest student-athletes that I've had the privilege to coach during my more than 30 years in this profession. As we head toward the spring season (with a top-15 national ranking), I look forward to embracing the challenge and leading these young men to another successful NCAA Championship run."

"We're sincerely thankful for Mark's commitment to building our men's golf program into one that has excelled on a national level," UofL Vice President and Director of Athletics Vince Tyra said. "He has guided the program to numerous regional and national championship appearances, and has put the program on the map in one of the nation's elite golf conferences – the ACC. Mark's emphasis on academics has produced many national academic awards. We wish Mark the best in the next chapter of his life, and look forward to celebrating his final season."

Crabtree's 21-year tenure stands as the longest tenure of any head coach in the history of the Louisville golf program. He's the only coach in school history to lead the program into postseason play, appearing in 11 NCAA Regionals and advancing to the NCAA championships on four occasions – the most recent coming during the 2019 season.

Hosting an NCAA Regional at the ULGC for the first time in 2019, the Cardinals finished fourth and advanced to the NCAA Championships. While the Cardinals didn't advance to the final round, it put a bow on one of the most successful seasons in school history. The Cardinals posted one win and recorded 12 top-five finishes.

His career with the Cardinals includes the most wins by a UofL coach with 29, which included three BIG EAST titles in 2006, 2007, and 2009, and two BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors in 2007 and 2009. His 2008 team posted a school best 10^th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Under Crabtree's leadership, Louisville captured 23 individual tournament winners—the most in program history—and produced five conference champions, including Robin Sciot-Siegrist, who was only the third player in ACC history to win back-to-back conference championships.

With Crabtree leading the way, a total of 21 players have garnered all-league accolades over three different conferences, and since joining the ACC in 2014, the Cardinals have 13 all-ACC Academic award winners.

"I couldn't be more appreciative of the Louisville community, which assisted me in developing this into a nationally recognized program. We have a strong donor base that has had a huge hand in being an integral part of the growth of the golf team, and for them, I'm forever thankful."

Crabtree's farewell season could be one of his best, as he will lead a group of four seniors. This past fall, the Cardinals won a pair of tournaments in the Bearcat Invitational and the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, and finished no lower than third in three other matches.

Matthias Schmid, one of the top 20 amateur players in the world, and John Murphy, who captured his first career win this fall at Cincinnati, were both honored on the Fred Haskins Award Watch List for the top collegiate golfer, positioning UofL as the only school with two players on the list.

Schmid, a preseason All-American and a first team all-ACC honoree last year, posted the school record for stroke average in a season, and is the only Cardinal to be a two-time participant in the GCAA Palmer Cup.

Crabtree, who was honored into the Colorado Hall of Fame in 2006, developed five Cardinals who went on to professional playing careers. Adam Hadwin, a former BIG EAST Conference champion, is preparing for his second President's Cup appearance this week, and Derek Fathauer, a former BIG EAST champion, has also been a successful PGA player.

Most recently, two-time ACC champion Robin Sciot-Siegrist earned his European Tour Card for the 2020 season.

Crabtree added, "Upon reflection, I'm reminded of the phrase: "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to plant and a time to uproot. For my family and me, that time is now."

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