Beating the odds — Despite disability, Crum continues to prove he belongs

By passing up scholarship offers, he had to hold down three jobs to support himself and his wife, Ashley. Besides attending practice and class, he worked 35 to 40 hours a week as a campus custodian, an intern at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, and as a desk attendant at a fitness center. When a scholarship was vacated in January, Reid gave it to Crum, which enabled him to quit two jobs. He continues to work as a custodian, waking up at 5:30 each morning to dust, mop, scrub carpets, clean tables and bathrooms and, on snowy days, shovel walkways.

"The bad days are when it snows," says Crum, who works until 8:30 a.m. and then goes to class.

Crum broke into the starting lineup for two games during his junior season, but a separated shoulder put him on the bench for six weeks, and he never regained his spot. When it appeared he would see little action last year, he elected to redshirt the season. In the interim, he joined the football team as a cornerback and placekicker and completed his undergrad degree in finance. He returned this year to finish his basketball career and begin work on an MBA.

"I told him he could try out for the team, but the chances of him playing were remote," says Reid. "No way I ever thought he'd play."

He won Reid's respect with his hustle and passion for the game, but most of Crum's play was limited to garbage time for the 5-14 T-Birds, at the end of big losses; that is, until he got his big chance against Missouri-Kansas City. Reid tried one player after another to try to stop UMKC's Dane Brumigan, who was en route to a 33-point night.

Reid looked down the bench and saw Crum. "I thought, this guy is playing his tail off every day in practice and guarding people," recalls Reid. "Let's get him in a game."

In 16 minutes of action, Crum brought Brumigan's scoring spree to a halt and then hit a three-point shot himself for good measure. "For 16 minutes he was all over him," says Reid. "He didn't let him breathe."

Afterward, Brumigan told FoxSports.com reporter Jeff Goodman, "Honestly, you can't even really tell he has a disability. You've got to treat him like everyone else. He's playing Division I basketball, and he's a good player. He was right up there with anyone else who has guarded me this year, but he's pretty inspirational. It's amazing."

In the three games since then, Crum's playing time has slipped (nine minutes total). "I'm not done proving myself just 'cause I got my name in the paper," says Crum.

Crum has been an inspiration for others who are trying to overcome similar handicaps. People write letters wanting to know how he manages various tasks. The parents of a 5-year-old handicapped boy say they plan to travel four hours so their son can see Crum perform when the T-Birds play at Western Illinois this week.

"I know this sounds trite," says Reid. "But this is what athletics is about — character, dedication, commitment. What Dax is doing is remarkable."

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E-mail: drob@desnews.com