Two Chapel Hill legends have announced their retirements in the past few months — longtime 97.9 The Hill morning show host Ron Stutts and UNC basketball coach Roy Williams.

Stutts and Williams have been mainstays in the Chapel Hill community for many years. On the day of Stutts’ retirement from 97.9 The Hill, Williams called him to wish him a happy retirement and to joke that it was probably time for Stutts to retire “40 years ago.”

Williams also joked about the possibility of his own retirement, referencing that Stutts was retiring after a 43-year career in radio as compared to Williams’ 48-year coaching career.

“I need a favor,” he said. “Don’t tell Wanda. She thinks I should have retired a hundred years ago and I keep telling her, ‘That’s crazy!'”

Williams told Stutts that he’s been listening to 97.9 The Hill since he first came back to Chapel Hill as a part-time assistant to Dean Smith.

“The 1978-79 basketball season was the first year I came back as Coach Smith’s part-time and I used to listen to you every morning. Now, I set my alarm at 6:55 every morning, I listen to the CBS news to see this political mess we’re in and hopefully we’re not at war, and then I listened to you off and on for the next 30 minutes.”

Stutts hosted many pregame basketball broadcasts for 97.9 The Hill — a Tar Heel Sports Network affiliate — and was a witness to many great moments in UNC basketball history.

“I hope the rest of this season goes really well,” Stutts said. “I’m pulling for you. I will always be watching, even though I’m not doing pregame shows anymore for Carolina basketball and I won’t be here at the radio station, I’ll be watching you guys play that’s for sure.”

The Carolina men’s basketball program announced Williams, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham are set to hold a press conference at the Dean Smith Center at 4 p.m., which can be streamed through the Carolina Athletics website.

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