On This Date in Sports March 15, 1997: The Dean of Coaching
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
With a 73-56 win over Colorado in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Winston-Salem, North Carolina secures another trip to the Sweet 16. Making the win extra special, it marks the 877th win for Coach Dean Smith, moving him past legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp for the most in NCAA history. The Tar Heels would go all the way to the Final Four as Dean Smith retired with a career record of 879-254.
Dean Edwards Smith was born on February 28, 1931, in Emporia, Kansas. Playing under legendary coach Phog Allen at Kansas, Smith served as a graduate assistant for Allen after his career ended. Allen had learned how to coach basketball under the tutelage of James Naismith, who invented the game in 1891. Dean Smith served in the Air Force while working as an assistant basketball coach at the Air Force Academy. Smith found his way to Chapel Hill in 1958, joining the staff of Frank McGuire. Three years later, Smith became the head coach at the University of North Carolina as McGuire was forced to resign due to a point-shaving scandal.
The hiring of Dean Smith was not popular first as the Tar Heels struggled in his first three years, with an 8-9 record in his first season followed by a 15-6 season and a 12-12 record. In 1965, fans on campus hung an effigy of Dean Smith following a disappointing loss to Wake Forrest. That incident turned out to be a turning point for Dean Smith as the Tar Heels closed the 60s and ’60s with three straight Final Four appearances. The Tar Heels rallied around their coach and finished the season strong, winning nine of their last 11 games.
In the 1970’s North Carolina became one of the most consistent teams in college basketball as they played in either the NIT or NCAA Tournament every season. Back then, the NIT was considered a gateway to the NCAA Tournament, as conferences were limited to one team in the Big Dance. The Tar Heels won the NIT in 1971 and returned to the Final Four a year later. In 1977, the Tar Heels came close to bringing Dean Smith his first title as they lost to Marquette in the championship game in Atlanta. Four years later, North Carolina again came one win short, losing to Indiana in the final of the 1981 Tournament in Philadelphia.
Despite not winning a championship in his first 20 years as head coach, Dean Smith was widely considered one of the best coaches in the nation as he had several former players make an impact in the NBA. In 1982, Smith finally got to cut down the nets, thanks to a freshman named Michael Jordan, who hit the game-winning shot as the Tar Heels beat Georgetown 63-62 in the National Championship Game at the Louisiana Superdome. Over the next, North Carolina became the most consistent team in the NCAA, reaching the Sweet 16 in a record 13 straight seasons. This culminated with a second championship at the Superdome in 1993, when North Carolina beat Michigan 77-71.
North Carolina again made the Final Four in 1995 and 1997 under Dean Smith as he became the winningest coach in the history of the NCAA. After breaking Adolph Rupp’s record, North Carolina recorded wins over California and Louisville to reach the Final Four for the 11th time in his career. The Tar Heels' quest for a National Championship would end in the NCAA Semifinals in Indianapolis as they lost to eventual champion Arizona 66-58. Six months later, on the eve of the 1997/98 season, Dean Smith would announce his retirement finishing with a career of 879-254, which now ranks seventh all-time in Division 1.