Dean Smith
Smith at a North Carolina game in 2007
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| Sport(s) | Basketball | |||||||||
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| Biographical details | ||||||||||
| Born |
February 28, 1931 Emporia, Kansas |
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| Died | February 7, 2015 (aged 83) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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| Playing career | ||||||||||
| 1949–1953 | Kansas | |||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||||||||||
| 1953–1955 | Kansas (asst.) | |||||||||
| 1955–1958 | Air Force (asst.) | |||||||||
| 1958–1961 | North Carolina (asst.) | |||||||||
| 1961–1997 | North Carolina | |||||||||
| 1976 | US men's national team | |||||||||
| Head coaching record | ||||||||||
| Overall | 879-254 (.776) | |||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | ||||||||||
| Championships | ||||||||||
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| Awards | ||||||||||
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Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1983 |
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College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Medal record
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Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith coached from 1961 to 1997 and retired with 879 victories, which was the NCAA Division I men's basketball record at that time. Smith had the 9th highest winning percentage of any men's college basketball coach (77.6%). During his tenure as head coach, North Carolina won two national championships and appeared in 11 Final Fours.
Smith was known for running a clean program and having a high graduation rate, with 96.6% of his athletes receiving their degrees. While at North Carolina, Smith helped promote desegregation by recruiting the university's first African-American scholarship basketball player, Charlie Scott, and pushing for equal treatment for African Americans by local businesses. Smith coached and worked with numerous people at North Carolina who achieved notable success in basketball, as players, coaches, or both. Smith retired in 1997, saying that he was not able to give the team the same level of enthusiasm that he had given it for years. After retiring, Smith used his influence to help various charitable ventures and liberal political activities, but in his latter years he suffered from advanced dementia and ceased most public activities.
Dean Smith was born in Emporia, Kansas, on February 28, 1931. Both of his parents were public school teachers. Smith's father, Alfred, coached the Emporia High Spartans basketball team to the 1934 state title in Kansas. This 1934 team was notable for having the first African American basketball player in Kansas tournament history. While at Topeka High School, Smith lettered in basketball all four years and was named all-state in basketball as a senior. Smith's interest in sports was not limited only to basketball. Smith also played quarterback for his high school football team and catcher for the high school baseball team.
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