Former UNC men’s basketball head coach Roy Williams was named as one of six winners of the North Carolina Award earlier this week. Governor Josh Stein will present the award to Williams and the other five honorees Thursday, November 13 at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville. The ceremony is normally held in Raleigh, but it has been moved to Asheville this year to honor western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

“Over the past six decades, the North Carolina Award has been given to many remarkable North Carolinians,” Stein said. “I am pleased to note that our 2025 recipients all either hail from or have made a particular impact in western North Carolina, and I look forward to honoring them in the mountains we all love.”

Williams, who grew up in Asheville, coached the Tar Heels from 2003 to 2021 and won three national championships. He was also an assistant to head coach Dean Smith when UNC won the title in 1982. Williams’ 903 total wins between his tenures at UNC and Kansas are the third-most by a Division 1 head coach, and his .774 winning percentage is the sixth-highest ever. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Williams has been honored by the state before. In 2024, Governor Roy Cooper awarded Williams the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, given to North Carolinians who have “made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.” It is the highest honor bestowed by the governor’s office.

Other 2025 recipients of the North Carolina award include musician Woody Platt (fine arts), author Wiley Cash (literature) and climatologist Kathie Dello (science).

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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