(See also: God)
Former head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from 1960 to 1997. He held the record for most wins in basketball history (879) until he was surpassed by Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University. Dean Smith was voted Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year eight times between 1967 and 1993. He was named the 1997 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. His teams won the NCAA championship in 1982 (thanks in part to a freshman named Michael Jordan) and 1993 (one year after I graduated, dammit).
Over 96 percent of Coach Smith's lettermen graduated since his first year in 1961. In the 1993 NBA playoffs, North Carolina had a former player on at least one team in all eight first round matchups.
He was succeeded by his long-time assistant, Bill Guthridge.
Editors Note:
Dean Smith died the evening of February 7, 2015, at his home in Chapel Hill after suffering for many years from advanced dementia. He was 83 years old.