Dean Smith
Emporia, KS

Smith, the winningest college basketball coach ever, was a member of the 1952 Kansas team which claimed the NCAA title, downing St. John's, 80-63, and a member of the 1953 which lost to Indiana in the NCAA finals.

A native of Emporia, Kan., Smith coached North Carolina to the 1982 and 1993 NCAA titles and his 1971 team claimed the NIT crown. He was the coach of the 1976 Olympic squad that won a gold medal. In 36 seasons as the head coach at North Carolina, he compiled an NCAA record 879-254 mark.

He took his North Carolina teams to 23 consecutive NCAA tournaments, breaking John Wooden's UCLA streak. His Tar Heels played in the Final Four 11 times.

Smith guided North Carolina to 27 consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins. The Tar Heels won 13 Atlantic Coast Conference championships with Smith at the helm, and UNC won either the regular season race or the postseason tournament 20 out of the last 27 years.

He coached 32 all-conference players and 26 All-Americans while seeing 51 of his former players go on to play in the professional ranks. A total of 20 former players, including former KU coach Larry Brown and current Jayhawk coach Roy Williams, are coaches or administrators.

He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Source:  A Century of Basketball