A Sad Day for Tar Heels, but a Great Day for Coach

By now the news of Coach Dean Smith's passing has spread. There are numerous facebook, twitter, and blog posts about a man who was much more than a coach of a basketball team. I think I have read them all.

When I heard the news of his passing, I was sure I wanted to do a blog post about him - but I didn't quite know what I wanted to say. I still don't.

How can you put into words what an icon Coach Smith was? How can you put into words what he did for the University, the game of basketball, the sports world, and every thing he touched. I started thinking of all the things I knew about Coach Smith...and then it became clear what I should say...

If I could, I would thank Coach Smith. I would thank him for making Carolina Basketball something I fell in love with at a very early age. I would thank him for being the type of man people look up to, the type of man who stood for more than just wins on a basketball court. I would like to thank him for coaching the team that won the 1993 Championship. It was the first championship game I ever watched. Becuase of that Championship, I have a piece of my Papa with me all the time, in the form of a t-shirt. I would thank him for mentoring Roy Williams, for pushing him to become the head coach of Kansas, and for welcoming home to UNC. I would like to thank him for being the type of man that brings Tar Heels, Wolfpack, and Blue Devils together for a short while - because we can all agree how great he was. I would like to thank him for "The Carolina Way", because that is why I am most proud to be a Tar Heel to this day. I would thank him for being humble, because it makes his memory that much more special.

I never met Coach Smith. He retired well before I got to UNC. In fact, he retired 2 weeks after my Papa passed away. We joked that he couldn't go on coaching without my Papa talking to the TV, helping him out. But I heard the stories, and I will continue to tell the stories. Because they deserve to be told.

Yesterday, the Tar Heels mourned the loss of a ledgend. But Coach wasn't mourning. No - he was already in heaven, his mind restored new again. So while yesterday was a sad day for Tar Heels, it was a great day for Coach (and I'm sure my Papa too :))

Thank you Coach Smith.