Tributes to Dean Smith are pouring in from luminaries like President Obama and Michael Jordan.  We want your tributes too! Send us your personal stories about the Coach – the stories only you know, not just the famous ones about cutting down the nets after another championship season. Did he help you in a small way that no one ever knew? Did you get to know him in a surprising way off the court? We’re looking for stories about Dean Smith the man in his community, and we’ll publish the best ones below.

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Lane Wurster:

I was working at Crook’s Corner in August of ’93 when Coach and Mrs. Smith came in for dinner after traveling home from the funeral of Michael Jordan’s father, James. As usual, we seated Coach at a quiet table so he could enjoy his beloved crab cakes in peace. But that night our staff was especially focused on his privacy. Unaware of the events of the day, a couple with young Tar Heel fans with them approached his table and asked if they could take photos of the kids with the coach. Our nervous grimaces quickly turned to awe as we watched Coach muster a smile and accommodate their request. He knew they didn’t know what he’d been through earlier that day, and honored their request with a friendliness and dignity I’ll never forget.

Debbie LaMay:

My fondest memory of Dean Smith was watching him “sneak” into middle school girls’ basketball games, when his granddaughter played at Phillips Middle School (my daughter played as well). Coach Smith wanted to see her play, but he didn’t want attention drawn to himself. He wanted the focus to remain on the girls. With the help of his daughter, Coach Smith would get into the gym, and not many people ever noticed! Dean Smith did the same thing at his grandchildren’s middle and high school graduations too; he stood in the back, so that the attention remained on the kids. He was a very humble man.

Terry Tickle:

Not many people know that Dean was a huge fan of big band music. I ran big bands for many years in the area and each time we made a new CD I would send one to Dean and always received a nice thank you. A few times I was asked to take a few musicians to the country club and play for his birthday celebrations. I always introduced my vocalist Cyndi Whisnant by making a joke about how badly I sang. A few years ago I met Dean and his daughter at the Subway in Carrboro. I asked if he remembered me playing for his party. He looked at me and said “You didn’t sing, did you?” He remembered the joke from years past. I cannot express the depth of his loss to this community.

Jeff Greenberg:

What I remember most are the times I served him at the drive-thru window of Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen. Always so kind. Always so humble. He even seemed embarrassed when I called him coach, as if that put too much attention on him. He always asked how I was doing and always knew my name. He always handed me a $20 bill and said, “Keep the change” when he only got one biscuit. We kept the change, but he was the one who changed the lives of many.

Pat Sprigg:

Dean Smith and Carol Woods had close ties for many years. I first met Dean shortly after I arrived at Carol Woods 23 years ago. I got a call telling me that Dean would like to come visit and bring some of his players to meet with some of our more frail residents. Apparently he and his players had visited before and the experience was so powerful, they wanted to come again. I was struck when I first met him up close and personal, how humble and unassuming he was. When one of our residents turned 100, I asked her how she wanted to celebrate – without hesitation, she stated that she never saw a game in the Dean Smith Center and that’s what she wanted. Not an easy task, but with Dean’s help (who by that time had retired), it happened and was a magical afternoon. Dean later agreed to serve on our Board, and while he never moved to Carol Woods, his sister did. For years, Dean would come and dine with Joan on Sundays. The staff always remarked how kind he was to them if they let their nerves get in the way of serving – after all, he was the king of basketball and our blood runs Carolina Blue! Then he joined our Board, so it was my time to get the star struck behavior in check! So, a great coach, undoubtedly, but an even greater human being who was able to make those around him feel comfortable, important and attended to in the moment.

Lucy Schimmelfing:

I’d loved Carolina Basketball since middle school. Later, as a young female basketball player at UNC, I was fortunate to be introduced to and become friends of Larry Brown and Doug Moe who were then coaches of the Carolina Cougars. They arranged with Coach Smith for me to work at the Carolina Basketball School, the only female with such an opportunity. I loved it and worked there for 5 summers. That was in the early 70’s. After working my last camp, I moved to NY with my fiancé/husband, Lee.

Almost 20 years later, we moved back to Chapel Hill. Shortly after the move, I walked into McDougle to vote one afternoon, and there was Coach Smith. I walked up to him to say hi and he looked at me, warmly shook my hand and said “Hi, Lucy. How are you?” That was Coach Smith. He remembered me and made me feel important with his kindness that day.

I’m a Tar Heel born and bred (Mom and Dad also went to UNC). My blood is Carolina Blue. And I learned a lot about reaching to be a better person from being around and watching Coach Smith over many years. We lost a great man on Saturday night, and his legacy will live on.

Paul Adams, Sr.:

I live on Oak Island and have been here 30 years. About 20 years ago, I was in a local restaurant when Dean and several other people came in. Reluctantly, I walked over to his table (reluctant because I knew he was constantly bothered by adoring fans). I said “Dean, I don’t want to interrupt your dinner, but I had to take this chance to tell you how much I appreciate you for all you have done for UNC basketball.” His words to me: “It’s the players, not me, but thanks for being a loyal fan.” I’ll never forget that moment. Class, humility, passing the praise to the players…he was in so many ways THE DEAN. 

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