Legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith passed away late Saturday night at the age of 83. Smith revolutionized the world of college basketball, and became an icon on and off the court. Smith’s impact was felt across the country, and he became one of the most popular coaches in America. Although he won, and won a lot, at North Carolina, he most importantly started the beginning of college basketball integration in the south.
Dean Smith’s Legacy Off the Court
When Dean Smith took the North Carolina job in 1961, racial tensions were running rampant in the south, especially in the state of North Carolina. Smith, whose father integrated a high school team in Kansas in the 1930’s, was against the grain in this matter. He spoke out publicly in favor of equal treatment of African-Americans in local businesses, and eventually recruited the university’s first black scholarship athlete, Charlie Scott. He opposed the Vietnam War, nuclear weapons, and the death penalty.
Smith once told then-governor Jim Hunt, “You’re a murderer. And I’m a murderer. The death penalty makes us all murderers.”
Dean Smith wasn’t just a basketball coach. He was an active, opinionated, and caring American citizen. His ability to connect to the reality of life, and to be able to help his players connect with him, is what made him one-of-a-kind.
That said, Smith was a Hall of Fame coach. After 36 years of coaching, Smith had racked up 879 wins, enough to make him fourth on the all-time list. He also had a 77.6% winning percentage, which is 9th all-time. 96.6% of his players graduated from North Carolina, which leads to another remarkable aspect of Dean Smith’s life: his ability to connect with his players in real life.
From Scott, to Michael Jordan, to Derrick Phelps, to Rasheed Wallace, Dean Smith always cared for his players.
Phelps once said about Smith, “I didn’t become a star in the NBA and he still calls me all the time. When he does, my teammates in the CBA or Europe can’t believe it. They’re always like, ‘I wish my college coach still cared about me.'”
When his players made it to the professional ranks, Smith was known to call them a lot their rookie year.
He always said, “How many watches do you own, because no one needs more than one expensive watch. How many cars do you own, because you can only drive one car at a time. And whatever you do, don’t let anyone talk you into owning a restaurant.”
These are just a few of the many cases in which Smith showed great friendship to his players.
One of Smith’s greatest moments was in 1997, when he passed former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp on the all-time wins list.
Rupp was infamously segregated at Kentucky, and basically an opposite person of Dean Smith. African-American, and former Georgia Bulldog player, Tim Bassett said Rupp allowed a Bassett effigy to be hung in the arena when the Bulldog players entered the gym.
Could you imagine Smith letting that happen at North Carolina? Not a chance.
So when Smith passed Rupp, Smith didn’t use the moment to give a subtle shot at Rupp, or anyone that still didn’t accept integration. That just wasn’t his style. Instead, Smith simply said, “I wasn’t trying to make a legacy. I was just trying to do what I think is right.”
It might not have been his intention, but he certainly made a legacy. His values and humanity are what drove him to be one of sports’ biggest icons. That’s what made Dean Smith larger than life. The coaching prowess was just a little sprinkle on top.
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