RIP Dean Smith

[OrangeXtreme]

Dean Smith Passes Away At Age 83

Former University of North Carolina head men’s basketball coach Dean Smith died Saturday evening in Chapel Hill. He was 83 years old.

“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.”

 

[jekelish]

RIP to one of the all-time legends.

 

[bballbeadle]

I was introduced to Dean Smith and Carolina basketball while working in a small mental health center for children 1979 - 82. We all ate lunch together every day, discussed life, and through many stories I began to understand the tradition of ACC basketball, the rivalries, the schools, and above all else, Dean Smith. One of the therapists was a caricaturist and he would come up with the funniest cartoons and wonderful tributes. I don't recall anyone saying a bad word about him, although it's possible some grumped about the four corners. During the ACC tournament, our director brought in a small television and anyone who wasn't having a session was welcome to watch the games. Somehow, not many sessions were scheduled.

It was a big deal. It was religion. It was Dean Smith.

 

[NKR1978]

I'm pretty shocked I never learned about his off the court accomplishments. He used his position to change Chapel Hill and he probably helped to change North Carolina by recruiting and playing black players and refusing to accept that they would be second class citizens. He made the world a better place.

Alzheimer's is such an awful disease. All we have are our memories and life experiences, good and bad, and to lose them is heartbreaking.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Long live The Dean. RIP. Alzheimer's is a terrible, torturous disease. Thoughts and prayers to his family and the greater UNC community for their loss. He will be remembered for far more than basketball.

 

[tbonezone]

phil ford 4 corners. the man is a coaching legend.

 

[Bogart]

Wow, rest in peace, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love watching, Larry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, Ed Cota, Jason Capel and company run the floor for Mr. Dean Smith, that's college basketball forever.

 

[jekelish]

I wrote something up mainly to try to encourage people to seek out information on the impact this man had away from the basketball court, as well: http://.com/dean-smith-the-passing-of-legend/

 

[OrangeDW]

I, probably along with many others here, watched his last win of his career at the Carrier Dome against Louisville to advance to the 1997 final four.

That UNC program, while still very successful, has never quite had that same aura to it that it had when Dean Smith was coach.

 

[SWC75]

My chief memory of Roger Springfield from his years as local sports anchor was that, after we beat UNC in the eastern Regional final in 1987, Springfield did a remote form the parking lot of the arena and the first words out of his mouth after our greatest victory to date were: "You have to wonder about Dean Smith".

I never wondered about Dean Smith.

 

[Timonen]

I, probably along with many others here, watched his last win of his career at the Carrier Dome against Louisville to advance to the 1997 final four.

That UNC program, while still very successful, has never quite had that same aura to it that it had when Dean Smith was coach.

I was actually volunteering for the SID and was a press runner in row #1 for that game. Definitely proud to be able to see him behind the scenes that week and then up close at the game. RIP

 

[MiniCuse]

A sad day for college basketball, especially here in the Triangle. My condolences to all Tar Heel fans.

 

[Crusty]

RIP Coach.

 

[samspann1]

RIP. His impact went far beyond the basketball court.

 

[rrlbees]

RIP Coach Smith.

 

[bballbeadle]

I wrote something up mainly to try to encourage people to seek out information on the impact this man had away from the basketball court, as well: http://.com/dean-smith-the-passing-of-legend/

Dear Jekelish, I am sending your write up to my North Carolina friends, in particular my 80 year-old Chapel Hill Bill, legendary Tarheel fan! Thanks!

 

[br801]

Dean Smith proved that nice guys can indeed finish first. RIP Coach.

 

[Jake]

Sad day. Great Coach, hard to dislike. He and bob knight were the two real giants when I really started following hoops. Knight sorta became a caricature if himself over time. Dean never lost his stature.

I remember watching his team play Maryland? Or some other acc school back in the 70s...dean went four corners the entire first half. Halftime score was something like 4-2. He took a ton of hear for ruining the game and was the reason for the initial push for the shot clock.

One mans innovation is another mans disaster.

 

[Roger N]

RIP. His impact went far beyond the basketball court.

Class act.

 

[Roger N]

Sad day. Great Coach, hard to dislike. He and bob knight were the two real giants when I really started following hoops. Knight sorta became a caricature if himself over time. Dean never lost his stature.

I remember watching his team play Maryland? Or some other acc school back in the 70s...dean went four corners the entire first half. Halftime score was something like 4-2. He took a ton of hear for ruining the game and was the reason for the initial push for the shot clock.

One mans innovation is another mans disaster.

I remember the 1975 Eastern Regionals. I believe that NC was ranked number one. SU beat NC in a great game. NC was up something like 36 to 27 with a couple of minutes to halftime. Smith was famous for pulling his srtatting five and then running the four corners to run out the time. Only this time it didn't work. SU went into a full court press and bingo they scored 8 straight points. Chris Sease stole the in bounds pass a couple of times during the run.

I might have the details a little wrong but that was the day SU basketball arrived.

 

[rrlbees]

Sad day. Great Coach, hard to dislike. He and bob knight were the two real giants when I really started following hoops. Knight sorta became a caricature if himself over time. Dean never lost his stature. I remember watching his team play Maryland? Or some other acc school back in the 70s...dean went four corners the entire first half. Halftime score was something like 4-2. He took a ton of hear for ruining the game and was the reason for the initial push for the shot clock. One mans innovation is another mans disaster.

If this old memory serves me right, that 4-2 score was UNC vs. Duke.

 

[tee1222]

RIP, Coach.

 

[rstone7727]

As a long time fan, I soon came to know that you had to beat Dean Smith to be recognized as a great team. One of the all time greats and innovators in the college game. RIP Dean...

 

[realorange]

College basketball will feel a hole in it's heart with Dean Smith's passing. Great coach and by many accounts, a better person.

 

[Jake]

February 24, 1979: #6 Duke 47, #4 North Carolina 40[edit]
Jim Spanarkel’s Senior Day game turned into one of the strangest afternoons in ACC basketball history as Duke held Carolina scoreless for a half before knocking off the No. 4-ranked Tar Heels 47-40. Dean Smith resorted to the four corners offense and the Tar Heels held the ball throughout the first half, but Duke led 7-0 as Spanarkel forced two turnovers, assisted on a basket to Mike Gminski and scored the last bucket of the half on a short jumper. (Smith later said, "It should have been 2-0, or something like that, at the half.") Carolina's only two shots of the first half were air balls, that resulted in the first-ever chants of "Air ball . . . Air ball!" from the Cameron Crazies. Sparnakel added 15 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 17, hitting 8-of-9 field goal attempts. The win allowed Duke to tie North Carolina for the ACC regular season title.

Duke coach Bill Foster wasn't amused by Smith's tactics in the first half and the next day said, "I've been doing this a long time, but during the first half last night I began to think maybe I've been doing it for too long." He then added this infamous dig: "I thought Naismith invented basketball, not Deansmith."
*************

Great line by Bill Foster. I think there was another game where it was 4-2.