Tar Heels’ Smith Expected To Retire
The Dean of college basketball is done.
Dean Smith, the winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA Division I history, will make a retirement announcement today, according to several reports. He has coached basketball for 36 years at North Carolina.
A news conference has been scheduled for this afternoon at the Smith Center, the campus basketball facility bearing his name.
Smith, 66, is under contract through the 2000-2001 season. Speculation of his retirement sent shock throughout the region, the state - and perhaps the country.
Smith broke former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp’s standard as the winningest Division I coach during the NCAA Tournament in March at Winston-Salem. His teams have posted a record of 879-254. Rupp’s clubs won 876.
Smith has said several times that he decides in August or September each year whether to continue coaching. Practice begins Oct. 18.
“I take each year as it comes and I won’t make that decision in April, because every April I am probably (tired),” Smith said in March. “So, you wait to see how excited you are in August. For 36 years I guess I’ve been excited in August and September.”
Smith has also hinted that he wouldn’t make an announcement before coaching a final season so that he could avoid the so-called retirement tour that would certainly follow the Tar Heels on the road.
“If you win something, would you quit?” Smith asked in the spring. “If you like what you’re doing, would you quit?”
The web site of the Tar Heels Sports Network reported that Smith will step down immediately.
If so, veteran assistant coaches Bill Guthridge and Phil Ford could be in line to take the job. Athletics director Dick Baddour, on the job for less than four months, could be left with major decisions.
Steve Kirschner, director of media relations for men’s basketball at the university, refused to divulge more details about the news conference, other than to say it was a “major” announcement.
As word leaked Wednesday night of today’s news conference, the Times-News received numerous inquiries about the status of Smith’s coaching future. It seems to have taken nearly everyone by surprise.
“He has been coaching for twice my life,” one caller said in a bit of an overstatement. “It’s the biggest shock of my life.”
Others were stunned as well.
“He always told me that as long as he still loves the game and is in good health that he would continue to coach,” said Williams High School boys basketball coach Tommy Cole. “This is history. It’s about like someone dying, if you want to know the truth. It’s just devastating. I pity the person that takes his place. That would be the toughest job in basketball.”