Dean Smith spent 39 years of his life coaching at UNC - the first three years as an assistant and the final 36 as the head coach. By the time he retired, he was the winningest and most respected coach in the history of the game. His intelligence, his innovation, and his love for his players are only a few of the traits that separate him from others. He will always be remembered for down-playing his accomplishments and giving credit to his players.
Dean was born on February 28, 1931 in Emporia, Kansas. His teaching skills developed early as both of his parents were school teachers. He graduated from Topeka High School in 1949 and then attended the University of Kansas where he played freshman football and varsity basketball and baseball. He was a member of the 1952 Jayhawk team that won the national championship and a member of the 1953 team which finished runnerup. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Kansas following his graduation.
He then served in the U.S. Air Force where he was a player-coach overseas. Following North Carolina's national championship in 1957, head coach Frank McGuire offered Smith a job as an assistant coach which he accepted. He served as an assitant for three years before McGuire left to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA. He was then awarded the head coaching duty by Chancellor William Aycock and he was on his way.
Dean is recognized as one of the great minds of the game. He is credited with many innovations including the four-corners offense, the team huddles at the foul line, the scramble defense, the point zone, and the run-and-jump defense among others. He liked to play multiple defenses to confuse the offense and he favored a fast-break offense if he had the personel to run it. If not, he was comfortable running a disciplined half-court offense. He was particularly adept at adapting to the style of play that best suited his players. He was a master at getting the maximum effort from his players and turning them into the best players that they could possibly be.
Despite all of his accomplishments and awards, he is probably best known for his rapport with his players. 96% of his players graduated and he always kept in constant contact with everyone of them no matter how busy he was. He told his secretaries that they could put any other person on hold when they called but that any time a player called to put them through immediately. Those players cherished Dean and many have been quoted as saying he became their second father.
The following are just a few of the hundreds of outstanding comments that have been made about Dean Smith:
Michael Jordan: "Coming out of high school I had all the ability in the world but I didn't know the game. Coach taught me the game, when to apply speed, how to use your quickness, when to use that first step, or how to apply certain skills in certain situations. He gave me the knowledge to score 37 points a game and that's something people don't understand."
Charles Waddell: "He was always very supportive and provided me with invaluable insight for most of the major decisions I've made since 1971. He is one of the best teachers I had. He taught us to work hard, to sacrifice for the good of the team, to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses."
George Karl: "I don't think any of the lettermen can express the family atmosphere that he's built, the tradition that he's built of loyalty and camaradarie. It's a fraternity that's very much admired by basketball people in the world."
Phil Ford: "When I first left school I was unsure, nervous, scared, going into a situation I really wasn't comfortable with and I didn't know if I was ready for it. He calmed me down with a fatherly attitude, taking me under his wing and teaching me a lot of things about being an adult."
Larry Brown: "Nobody's done it better over a longer period of time than he has. He won in the '60s, the '70s, the '80s, and '90s and if you look at his teams, they've always been innovative, he hasn't been lost or left behind."
John Wooden: "I've always said that Dean is a better teacher of basketball than anyone else. I couldn't begin to teach players the things Dean has taught them. I've admired him because there's more to him than just wins."
Bobby Knight: "I think it's a great achievement [breaking Rupp's record], indicative of a guy who really knows how to coach and has decided from day one that things are going to be done the absolute right way."
Mike Krzyzewski: "Whatever is written about him in a positive sense he justly deserves. I know he'll give credit, as we all would to the players who have played for us but the praise for him should rise well above that for the players who have played for him."
This is just a partial list of Dean's accomplishments:
He won more games than any other coach in the history of college basketball with 879 against just 254 losses. The Tar Heels finished in the top three in the ACC in each of his final 33 years including 17 times in first place, 11 times in second place, and only 5 times in third place.
The Tar Heels won at least 20 games in each of his final 27 years and 30 of his final 31 years.
He owns the NCAA record for the most 25 win seasons at 22. Jerry Tarkanian is a distant second with 14.
He is the winningest coach in the history of the NCAA tournament with 65 victories.
His teams qualified for the NCAA tournament a record 23 consecutive years while 27 of his final 31 teams also qualified.
His teams finished ranked in the top 15 in 28 of his final 31 years while finishing in the top 10 for 23 of those years.
His teams won 13 ACC tournament championships.
His teams made it to the Final Four 11 times, only one short of the all-time record of 12 by John Wooden and won two national championships.
He coached the USA Olympics team to a gold medal in 1976.
He was named National Coach of the Year by various organizations in 1977, 1979, 1982, and 1993.
He was named Sportsman of the Year in 1997 by Sports Illustrated.
He was named the second greatest coach in the history of the game in 2000 by the NABC behind John Wooden.
He was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1983.
He was voted ACC Coach of the Year eight times.
Six of his players were voted NBA or ABA rookie of the year - Charlie Scott, Robert McAdoo, Walter Davis, Phil Ford, Michael Jordan, and Vince Carter.