LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the past 21 seasons, the University of Louisville men's golf team has been under the leadership of Mark Crabtree. That changes at the end of the 2019-20 season as Crabtree says it's time to retire.

“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.”

Crabtree is a record-holder at UofL. His 21 years stands as the longest of any head coach in the history of the Louisville golf program. He is the only coach in school history to lead the program into postseason play, appearing in 11 NCAA Regionals and making it to the NCAA championships four times, including in 2019.

During his tenure at UofL, Crabtree won three BIG EAST titles in 2006, 2007, and 2009 and was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year twice in 2007 and 2009. 

Crabtree's final season could be one of his best. This fall, the Cardinals won two tournaments in the Bearcat Invitational and the Bak 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.