BREAKING NEWS! Legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith dies at 83
Another ICON has left us for greener pastures! VIA USA TODAY:
When Dean Smith set what at the time was the record for career coaching victories on a mid-March day during the 1997 NCAA basketball tournament, the celebration was on for the far-flung "family" of ex-North Carolina players he had coached and nurtured in more than three decades at the school.
Many former Tar Heels and long-time associates of the coach were either on hand for the game against Colorado in Winston-Salem, N.C., or called Smith shortly after its conclusion to offer congratulations.
The University of North Carolina announced the news.
"Coach Dean Smith passed away peacefully the evening of February 7 at his home in Chapel Hill, and surrounded by his wife and five children," the Smith family said in a statement. "We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as arrangements are made available to the public. Thank you."
The iconic Smith, a Hall of Famer who won two national championships and coached the Tar Heels to 11 Final Fours and 13 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament titles in 36 seasons. With 879 career coaching victories, Smith ranks fourth all-time behind longtime rival Mike Krzyzewski (1,003), Jim Boeheim (963) and Bob Knight (902).
Smith, as was long his custom, tried to deflect attention from himself in the aftermath of the record-setting win that day in 1997 and preferred to talk about his team, which had just qualified for the Sweet 16. His Tar Heels would win two more games the next week to advance to another Final Four, where they would lose in the semifinals to Arizona.
Then Smith did something completely unexpected but totally in character.
He retired shortly before the following season started. At 66, Smith was getting worn down from the demands of the job -- on the court and off. If he couldn't give his all anymore, it was best not to make a less-than-100% attempt.
Smith chose to leave in October 1997, setting up a smooth transition to longtime assistant Bill Guthridge, who had sat by his side on the bench for three decades. The passing of the job to a loyal associate was typical of the man who always preached unselfishness and a team-first attitude and instructed his players, after scoring, to point to the teammate who had made the great pass that led to the basket.
A four-time national coach of the year, Smith had basketball bloodlines as deep and as blue as the Carolina sky. He was a reserve guard on the Kansas team that won the 1952 NCAA title and was runner-up the following year under legendary coach Phog Allen, who learned the game from its inventor, James Naismith. Smith scored a total of one point -- in 1953 -- in the two championship games.
He began as an assistant coach at Kansas and went on to become one of only three men to win the coaching triple crown -- championships in the NCAA tournament, the NIT and the Olympics. (The gold medal came in Montreal in 1976, four years after the controversial finish at the Munich Games gave the Soviet Union a stunning victory.)
His use of the "four-corner" offense, which salted away many a close game in the era before the shot clock, the run-and-jump defense and the foul-line huddle helped build the legend.
Smith also was productive away from basketball court. He made sure his players took academics seriously -- more than 96% of his lettermen graduated -- as a son of parents who were public school teachers.
In 1966 Smith recruited Charlie Scott, who became the first African-American to be given an athletic scholarship at UNC. In presenting Smith at 2011 ceremonies honoring the former coach with the James A. Naismith Sportsmanship Award, Scott said Smith never talked to him about being the first black athlete at the school. It was all about being a human being.
In 2010, Smith's family sent out a letter to former players and coaches saying the legendary coach was having trouble remembering things. His condition was described as a "progressive neurocognitive disorder that affects his memory."
"It's a stark contrast because he is widely known for remembering a name, a place, a game, a story — it's what made other people feel like they were special, because our dad remembered everything," the letter said.
The family also noted that Smith had undergone a knee replacement and a repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
"He may not immediately recall the name of every former player from his many years of coaching," the letter said, "but that does not diminish what those players meant to him or how much he cares about them."
Perhaps longtime UNC radio announcer Woody Durham said it best at the time Smith set that coaching victory record.
"He's a remarkable individual," Durham said, "and we're fortunate that he decided to be a basketball coach."
REST IN PEACE! Mr Smith and Thanks for ALL you’ve done for College Basketball!
No comments:
Post a Comment