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| Bill Crumby came to the Memphis football team as a defensive back in 1976. The 6-2, 175, graduate of CBHS in Memphis, saw no action during his first year as a Tiger but
earned a spot on the Memphis special teams during his second
season. |
| Crumby had appeared in the first seven games of the 1977 season and had been credited with four tackles and two assists entering the Memphis-Southern Miss contest on October 29. With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Crumby was injured in an attempt to stop USM kick returner Willie Tullis at the Golden Eagle 35-yard line. Crumby sustained a fractured dislocation of his fifth cervical vertebra and was paralyzed from his shoulders down. |
| Since that night, no one has worn 39. Crumby, who had supported Tiger athletics since his youth and continued to support after his accident, passed away in January of 2000.
Crumby’s number "39" will be awarded to a two year letterman for the Tigers who, like Crumby, came to the U of M as a walk-on but has earned a spot on the squad. |