Dean Smith attended Emporia High School in 1946 and 1947 and graduated from
Topeka High School in 1949.

He coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina, retiring in 1997.
Coach Smith has been called the winningest coach in the history of college basketball
with 879 games. His teams posted an NCAA record of 27 consecutive 20 win seasons. He
coached 30 all Americans and has been inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame and North Carolina Hall of Fame.

His nomination states, Dean Smith’s greatest strength is not the fact that he is the
best on the basketball court, but that he is concerned about the players and gives more to
all those who come in contact with him.