Legendary North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels coach Dean Smith passed away late Saturday night at the age of 83. Smith touched a number of lives, and shortly after news of his death a number of prominent figures - including Michael Jordan, current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams and President Barack Obama - offered their condolences.
Smith made numerous contributions to the college basketball game, led the Tar Heels to two national championships and won an Olympic gold medal in 1976. Upon hearing of his passing, Williams, who spent 10 years as Smith's assistant, spoke on behalf of the university.
"I'd like to say on behalf of all our players and coaches, past and present, that Dean Smith was the perfect picture of what a college basketball coach should have been," Williams said in a statement, according to ESPN. "We love him, and we will miss him. ... His concern for people will be the legacy I will remember most. He was a mentor to so many people; he was my mentor. He gave me a chance but, more importantly, he shared with me his knowledge, which is the greatest gift you can give someone.
"I'm 64 years old and everything I do with our basketball program and the way I deal with the University is driven by my desire to make Coach Smith proud."
Smith coached arguably the greatest player in NBA history, who described the impact the legendary coach had on him.
"Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith," Jordan said in a statement. "He was more than a coach -- he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life. My heart goes out to Linnea and their kids. We've lost a great man who had an incredible impact on his players, his staff and the entire UNC family."
Obama also released a statement regarding the passing of Smith, whom he awarded the Medal of Freedom to in 2013.
"Last night, America lost not just a coaching legend but a gentleman and a citizen," Obama said in a statement released later Sunday. "When he retired, Dean Smith had won more games than any other college basketball coach in history. He went to 11 Final Fours, won two national titles, and reared a generation of players who went on to even better things elsewhere, including a young man named Michael Jordan -- and all of us from Chicago are thankful for that.
"But more importantly, Coach Smith showed us something that I've seen again and again on the court -- that basketball can tell us a lot more about who you are than a jumpshot alone ever could. He graduated more than 96 percent of his players and taught his teams to point to the teammate who passed them the ball after a basket. He pushed forward the Civil Rights movement, recruiting the first black scholarship athlete to North Carolina and helping to integrate a restaurant and a neighborhood in Chapel Hill. And in his final years, Coach Smith showed us how to fight an illness with courage and dignity. For all of that, I couldn't have been prouder to honor Coach Smith with Medal of Freedom in 2013."
Smith retired in 1997 with a career record of 879-254, two national championships, 11 Final Four appearances, 17 ACC regular-season titles, 13 ACC tournament titles and just one losing season in his 36 years at North Carolina.
