NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 national title winning head coaches

One of college basketball’s true legends, Dean Smith spent nearly four decades shaping North Carolina into one of the most prolific programs in the country. The Hall of Fame coach won a pair of championships and built the Tar Heels into yearly contenders. He was a mentor and source of inspiration for many, running a clean and successful program and shaping hundreds of lives.

He would become a mentor to Roy Williams and dozens of other coaches and players, but Smith’s career began under his mentor. He played and served as an assistant to Phog Allen at Kansas, playing a role on the Jayhawks’ national title team in 1952.

His coaching career would then take him to Air Force, where he briefly served overseas in Germany. In 1958, he’d join Frank McGuire’s staff at North Carolina, though the biggest news would come in 1961.

Smith became the head coach of the Tar Heels and would spend the next 36 years shaping this into one of college basketball’s premier programs. They’d win national titles in 1982 and 1993 and make 11 Final Fours during his tenure.

He mentored future stars like Michael Jordan while maintaining a clean program that graduated nearly all of his student-athletes. His Tar Heels finished among the top three in the ACC in all but two of his seasons, including a 13-year run in at least the Sweet 16.

It’s easy to understate the legacy that Smith had on college basketball, specifically on that Tar Heels program. He mentored future coaches like Williams, Larry Brown, and George Karl while shaping the lives of young men both on and off the basketball court.

You could never count out his Tar Heels, who played a dominant role in the ACC. Smith passed away a few years ago, but his life and legacy will never be diminished.