CLAIRE C. LAURENCEArizona Daily Wildcat Junior Cassidy Crum followed in the footsteps of her parents, brother and grandparents when she transferred to Arizona to become a Wildcat.

Volleyball junior the latest in a long line of Crums at the UA

With parents and grandparents that left a permanent impression on UA sports, junior volleyball player Cassidy Crum was born to be a Wildcat.

So, why did she choose Duke?

"If you can go to Duke and get that education for free, you might as well," said Crum, a defensive specialist/libero. "It wasn't my thing. I'm a West Coast girl."

After playing for the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference Champion Blue Devils her freshman year, Crum transferred to Arizona. Her father, legendary Wildcat football player and prominent UA booster Bob Crum, said Duke wasn't a proper fit for her daughter, but she was "romanced" by its academic reputation.

"U of A was just a great choice for her," said Bob, who played for Arizona from 1970-72. "All our kids were born to be Wildcats. There's a lot of Arizona blood in this family."

Cassidy's mother, Kim, even cooked dinner for the volleyball team the last two years that the Wildcats were in town to play Arizona State.

Cassidy said she transferred because she didn't get along with her coach at Duke, which led to her interest in playing for her parents' and all four grandparents' alma mater.

Even her brother, Conan, played guard and offensive tackle for the gridiron Wildcats - but his promising career was cut short because of injuries.

"My parents both went here and their parents did, (and) my brother did, so it was kind of strange that I didn't come here in the first place," Cassidy said. "I had a good relationship with the coaching staff here already, so I called (head coach) Dave (Rubio) and asked him if I could come play, and he said 'no problem.'"

Rubio said he felt fortunate to land Cassidy, a Phoenix native who was the Arizona Republic Player of the Year in Scottsdale, Ariz., while playing at Horizon High School. She was the only four-year starter in the history of the Huskies' program when she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class in 2001.

"We certainly benefited from the transfer from Duke," Rubio said. "We're fortunate to have her on the team. I always liked her play since her club team. I knew we had a shot because of the ties of the Crum family with the university."

Cassidy, one of five Crum kids, grew up going to UA games.

"I've been coming to Arizona football games since I can remember - always tailgating down here from Phoenix every weekend, because my dad's a big alumnus here," Cassidy said.

"It's fun. I enjoy it. It's also nice to have the tickets," she added, laughing.

Bob said that even though they went to other schools, his kids are all Wildcats at heart.

Cassidy's sisters both decided to play at volleyball powers Long Beach State and Pepperdine.

"When they were little - we had five kids in six years - we would take that whole crew (to UA games)," Bob said. "They're all Wildcats. They all love Arizona."

Cassidy's sister Mariko, an outside hitter and middle blocker, is a freshman for the 49ers, while Chevron, a senior setter for Horizon, committed to the Waves.

Cassidy said she tried to recruit her sisters to no avail.

"I told them (to come to Arizona) but they wanted to try out their own thing," Cassidy said.

Rubio said the Wildcats went after Mariko but didn't strongly pursue Chevron because they had already picked up highly touted freshman setter Stephanie Butkus.

"The Crum family has been very involved in volleyball and I feel fortunate to have Cassidy," Rubio said.

Rubio called Cassidy, who often leads the team's cheers when she is on the bench, "a consummate team player."

"I think Cassidy's one of the most important players on this team," he said. "She provides leadership, a great positive attitude, she never complains and always works hard."

Her father, who played for the NFL's then-St. Louis Cardinals, said Cassidy, who played in a national championship in three different sports as a youth, is very competitive. Her club volleyball team, Arizona Juniors, finished third in the nation in 2000.

"She's just full of energy and just one of the most organized and disciplined people you'll ever meet," Bob said.

Cassidy's grandfather, Moose, is a UA sports legend, having played football from 1946-47 and basketball from 1946-49. But Bob said his kids paved their own way in becoming so successful.

"They are all 4.0 students," he said. "These kids bought into (the idea that) what happens to them is their fault."

Moose is known as one of the best athletes to ever don the UA cardinal and navy. He was team captain on the basketball squad, leading Arizona to its first-ever postseason tournament, the 1946 NIT. He played on four consecutive Border Conference championship teams.

Moose was also a second-team All-Border Conference honoree twice and was second in the league in scoring.

"My dad's one of the great athletes in UA history," Bob said.

Once Cassidy and her sisters are done with volleyball, the Crum sports legacy may still live on.

Don't be surprised if head basketball coach Lute Olson, baseball head coach Andy Lopez and/or Arizona's future football coach are seen in the Crum living room in the near future. Bob said their youngest child, Dax, might be the most athletically gifted of the bunch.

Dax, "who never got a B in his life" according to Bob, plays basketball, baseball and football for Horizon.