Dean Smith’s 86th birthday is tomorrow. A special number, too.
The legendary Carolina coach would have been 86 tomorrow, and the best present the Tar Heels could have given him was a win at Virginia tonight. But I can think of why the No. 86 goes very well with Smith’s legacy, beginning with the Dean Dome opening its doors in 1986 with an epic victory over Duke on January 18 of that year.
Smith had 86 career victories in 1967 when his team played and defeated Duke to wrap up his first of three straight ACC regular-season championships, each of which was followed by an ACC tournament crown and advancement to the Final Four. Smith also had 860 career victories in 1997, his final season on the bench, when his Tar Heels opened the ACC season three straight defeats and many Carolina fans were hoping he would retire then and there.
Of course, that team went on to win 16 consecutive games all the way to his 11th Final Four in what is widely considered the best turnaround coaching job of his Hall of Fame career.
Smith’s 86th career loss came in his 12th season against N.C. State, one of an unthinkable nine consecutive defeats to the David Thompson-led Wolfpack before a freshman named Phil Ford righted that wrong two years later. Of Smith’s 364 ACC victories, his 86th was also the last ACC win for Charlie Scott, his first African-American scholarship player, in 1970, who enrolled 50 years ago this season.
His 86th ACC loss came 15 years later at the start of, you guessed, it, the 1986 season. Finally, when you add up Smith’s 17 ACC regular season championships, his 13 ACC tournament titles, his 27 top 15 finishes in the national rankings, his 27 NCAA tournament appearances and his two national championships, guess what number you get?
That’s right, 86.Happy birthday, coach!
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