Skip to content
Orange County Public Library (opens the library’s website in a new tab)

Figure in a named event

Dean Smith

Dean Smith coached UNC men's basketball in Chapel Hill for 35 years, winning 879 games and two NCAA championships. In 1959, as an assistant coach, he joined his pastor Robert Seymour in taking a Black theology student to dinner at The Pines restaurant to integrate it, and he later recruited Charlie Scott, the first African American scholarship athlete at UNC.

Source: WUNC: How Dean Smith's Push For Civil Rights Transformed Chapel Hill

1931–2015 · Dates from the Library of Congress · On the Friends’ Local Authors roster → · Library of Congress authority record ↗

72 works about Dean Smith are indexed here, as are 2 works by Smith. 4 held at OCPL →

Search these works Research sources View indexed works ↓
Dean Smith, 1973
Dean Smith, 1973

Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineChapel Hill's police chiefs and the public safety department, 1975–19941975–1994 · 20 events · Chapel Hill hired Sidney Hilliard from Florida as police chief in 1975; after he resigned in 1977, Herman Stone, who had joined the force in 1949, led the department until he retired in January 1987. A 1985 consultant's report proposed merging police and fire into a public safety department, and the council created a public safety director's post in 1987, but the town put off filling it. Arnold Gold, interim chief since Stone's retirement, became chief in 1988. Cal Horton was public safety director by 1990, when the town named Daniel Jones fire chief. In 1991 the council moved to split the public safety department into police and fire departments, and after Gold retired in 1992 Ralph Pendergraph became chief. In October 1993 the council ended the cross-trained public safety system and split police and fire services, and in 1994 Chapel Hill and Carrboro agreed to run their fire departments in cooperation. StorylineBuilding and opening the Dean E. Smith Center, 1978–19891978–1989 · 30 events · UNC planned a basketball arena and athletic complex for the former Baity land in 1978, and in 1980 the trustees and the Chapel Hill Town Council approved a center seating about 22,000. Private gifts and an Educational Foundation loan paid for it, and students won a better seating plan in 1982. In 1983 and 1984 engineers reviewed a former subcontractor's charges about its steel and then cracks in its beams. After a delay the center opened as the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center with a win over Duke on January 18, 1986, and was dedicated that September. It lost about $120,000 in its first year but drew almost 1.02 million people to 72 events by early 1988, and in 1989 the athletic director added lower-level seats for students. StorylineThe movement for a freestanding Black Cultural Center, 1990–19941990–1994 · 114 events · The Faculty Council asked in 1990 for a new Black Cultural Center building, and after professor Sonja Haynes Stone died in August 1991, a student campaign won the center her name that October. In 1992 a coalition pressed for a freestanding building; Chancellor Paul Hardin opposed one into September, and after marches, a Spike Lee rally and his working group's report, he endorsed it on October 15. The trustees approved a site in July 1993. Student leaders accepted the trustees' Coker Woods site that November, and the Bicentennial Campaign took on the building's $7 million. In 1994 director Margo Crawford resigned, the Board of Governors approved the building, and NationsBank and other donors brought gifts to about $1.6 million by November.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 22 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Aycock suspends a basketball player in the betting scandal and makes Dean Smith head coach After the player Doug Moe admitted that he had accepted $75 from a gambler, Chancellor Aycock suspended him on Thursday, May 4, 1961, and said the integrity of the institution was involved. Aycock then raised assistant coach Dean Smith to head coach. People: William B. Aycock, Dean Smith Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Doug MoeSearch the index · UNC-Chapel Hill: Former Chancellor William B. Aycock dies at 99 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 11, 1961, p. 13
  2. Frank McGuire leaves UNC and Dean Smith succeeds him McGuire left Chapel Hill in 1961 to coach the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA. Dean Smith, who had joined his staff as an assistant in 1958, became head coach of the Tar Heels. People: Frank McGuire, Dean Smith Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · NBC Sports: Legendary former North Carolina coach Dean Smith dies at age 83
  3. UNC plays Howard University, the first Black college scheduled by an ACC school Howard University's basketball team became the first Black institution ever scheduled by an Atlantic Coast Conference member when it met the Tar Heels in Carmichael Auditorium. Howard led 8-0 early but lost 109-67; Black Ink later noted that many Black students in the crowd cheered for Howard. People: Dean Smith Place: Carmichael Auditorium, University, Chapel HillSearch the index · Black Ink (Black Student Movement, UNC), February 1975, p. 6
  4. Roy Williams serves as an assistant coach under Dean Smith at UNC Williams spent ten seasons on Dean Smith's UNC men's basketball staff before leaving to become head coach at Kansas. People: Roy Williams, Dean Smith Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · ESPN: Men's college basketball news, April 14, 2003
  5. Chapel Hill aldermen honor the Tar Heel basketball team On April 9, 1979, the Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen passed a resolution, signed by Mayor James Wallace and all the aldermen, congratulating Coach Dean Smith and the UNC basketball team on their ACC championship season, and another honoring the Chapel Hill Senior High basketball team. People: Bill Thorpe, Dean Smith Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: James WallaceSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 10, 1979, p. 1
  6. Michael Jordan plays his Carolina career in Carmichael Auditorium Jordan played all three of his Carolina seasons in Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill and scored in double figures in 90 of his 101 games for UNC. He was Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and National Player of the Year in 1984. People: Michael Jordan, Dean Smith Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Carmichael AuditoriumSearch the index · University of North Carolina Athletics: Celebrate Carolina: Jordan in Carmichael
  7. UNC men’s basketball wins the 1982 NCAA national championship UNC defeated Georgetown, 63–62, to win the national title. People: Dean Smith, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Matt Doherty Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · NCAA championship history: Division I men’s basketball · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, March 30, 1982, p. 1; The Daily Tar Heel, April 29, 1982, p. 8
  8. Order of the Golden Fleece taps State Archivist H.G. Jones and four others At its tapping ceremony in Memorial Hall, where Dean Smith gave the Frank Porter Graham speech, the Order of the Golden Fleece inducted 22 students and five professionals: State Archivist H.G. Jones, broadcaster Woody Durham, Latin American Studies director Enrique Baloyra, history chair Gillian Cell, cited as UNC's first affirmative action officer, and Morehead Foundation director Mebane M. Pritchett. People: Woody Durham, Dean Smith Place: Memorial Hall, UNC, Chapel Hill · Also named: H.G. Jones, Enrique Baloyra, Gillian Cell, Mebane M. Pritchett · Also mentions: Morehead FoundationSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 16, 1985, p. 2
  9. UNC men's basketball plays its last game in Carmichael Auditorium North Carolina beat N.C. State 90-79 in the men's basketball team's last game at Carmichael Auditorium before its move to the new Student Activities Center. The Daily Tar Heel noted less ceremony than at the previous season's farewell game. People: Dean Smith Place: Carmichael Auditorium, UNC, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Student Activities CenterSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 8, 1986, p. 1
  10. The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center opens with a win over Duke The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, UNC's new arena of about 21,400 seats, opened with North Carolina's 95-92 basketball victory over Duke before 21,444 fans. The Daily Tar Heel reported tight parking, with about 4,500 spaces within 2,500 feet and nearby lots reserved for Educational Foundation donors, and complaints about wheelchair parking and access. People: Dean Smith Place: Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, UNC, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 20, 1986, p. 1
  11. The Dean E. Smith Center is formally dedicated at a pro-alumni basketball game The $34 million Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, open since January, was formally dedicated with a game among former Tar Heels who had played professional basketball, held after the Citadel football game; the dedication had been put off so more of Smith's former players could come. The jerseys of national players of the year Phil Ford, James Worthy, Michael Jordan and Lennie Rosenbluth were retired and eight others honored, and proceeds from more than 21,000 tickets at $5 went to the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Athletes Against Crime. People: Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Phil Ford, James Worthy, Michael Jordan Place: Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, Chapel Hill · Also named: Lennie RosenbluthSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, September 4, 1986, p. 5
  12. Chapel Hill honors retired police chief Herman Stone with the key to the town At a farewell banquet for 445 guests in the Bowles Room of the Koury Natatorium at the Smith Center, Mayor Jim Wallace gave retired Police Chief Herman Stone the key to the town. Town Manager David Taylor, basketball coach Dean Smith and athletic director John Swofford spoke, and Swofford gave Stone season tickets on behalf of the University. People: Dean Smith, John Swofford Place: Koury Natatorium, Smith Center, Chapel Hill · Also named: Herman Stone, James C. Wallace, David Taylor, Jim Wallace · Also mentions: Smith CenterSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 13, 1987, p. 3
Show all 22 dated events
  1. Robert Allen and Bruce Carney become the first Dean E. Smith professors Robert Allen and Bruce Carney, professors in the College of Arts and Sciences, were named the first holders of the Dean E. Smith professorships, set up in 1990 for teaching and scholarship and named for the men's basketball coach; the appointments took effect July 1. People: Dean Smith Place: University, Chapel Hill · Also named: Robert Allen, Bruce Carney · Also mentions: College of Arts and SciencesSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 11, 1991, p. 3
  2. UNC's basketball team takes the court in Alexander Julian's argyle uniforms At Dean Smith's request, the Chapel Hill native Alexander Julian redesigned the Tar Heel men's basketball uniforms, adding an argyle side panel. The team first wore them, its first new uniforms since 1970, in its season opener against The Citadel on November 24, 1991, and the argyle became a symbol of the university. People: Alexander Julian, Dean Smith Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · UNC-Chapel Hill: From new idea to iconic design (Brandon Bieltz, April 22, 2015) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, November 25, 1991, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, November 26, 1991, p. 3
  3. UNC men’s basketball wins the 1993 NCAA national championship UNC defeated Michigan, 77–71, to win the national title. People: Dean Smith Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · NCAA championship history: Division I men’s basketball · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, April 6, 1993, p. 1
  4. UNC agrees with Nike to outfit its athletic teams Athletic Director John Swofford announced that the University had agreed with Nike Inc. to supply equipment and apparel to its 26 varsity teams, with the financial terms undisclosed. Swofford said the decision was made after talking with basketball coach Dean Smith, who had long worked with Converse, but Chancellor Paul Hardin told the trustees on July 23 that he had seen no contract. People: John Swofford, Dean Smith Place: UNC, Chapel Hill · Also named: Paul HardinSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, August 23, 1993, p. 14
  5. UNC and Dean Smith sign the $4.7 million Nike contract Coach Dean Smith and University officials signed the four-year contract on October 2, under which Nike would outfit 24 of UNC's 26 varsity teams and provide $4.7 million in cash and equipment, including $420,000 to the athletic department for women's sports. Chancellor Paul Hardin approved it that day after a dispute over Smith's negotiating it and calls for its terms to be made public. People: Dean Smith, John Swofford Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Paul HardinSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 4, 1993, p. 1
  6. UNC names five prominent North Carolinians to lead fund raising for the Stone Center building The University announced that Maya Angelou, Bob Eubanks, Deloris Jordan, Dean Smith and Jack Tate would lead the campaign for a freestanding Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center. A year after the building plan was settled, slightly more than $500,000 of the $7 million needed had been pledged, and advisory board spokesman Harold Woodard said the center had not yet shifted into high fund-raising mode. People: Dean Smith Place: Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural Center, University, Chapel Hill · Also named: Maya Angelou, Bob Eubanks, Deloris Jordan, Jack Tate, Harold WoodardThe Daily Tar Heel, September 13, 1994, p. 1
  7. Leaders of the Stone Black Cultural Center fund drive meet to plan raising $5.4 million The fund-raising campaign for the Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural Center met for the first time, bringing campaign leaders Maya Angelou, Dean Smith, Bob Eubanks and Jack Tate together with a special gifts committee of faculty, staff, students and community leaders to plan how to raise the $5.4 million still needed of the $7 million cost by June 1995. About $1.6 million had been raised, most of it after NationsBank's September 23 pledge of up to $1 million, and the committee planned both major solicitations and a broad community appeal. People: Dean Smith Place: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · Also named: Maya Angelou, Bob Eubanks, Jack Tate · Also mentions: Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural CenterThe Daily Tar Heel, November 8, 1994, p. 1
  8. Matt Doherty is named head coach of UNC men's basketball Doherty, who had played at Carolina under Dean Smith from 1980 to 1984, was named the school's 17th head basketball coach after one season as head coach at Notre Dame. He succeeded Bill Guthridge. People: Matt Doherty, Dean Smith Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Bill GuthridgeSearch the index · UNC Athletics: Matt Doherty, Men's Basketball Coach
  9. Dean Smith is named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom President Obama named Smith among sixteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing his 36 seasons as UNC's head basketball coach (1961-1997), two national championships, a 96 percent graduation rate among his players and his civil rights advocacy. Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Barack ObamaSearch the index · The White House: President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
  10. Bill Thorpe and Dean Smith are to be added to the Peace and Justice Plaza marker The town announced that the names of former Council member Bill Thorpe and UNC basketball coach Dean Smith would be added to the granite marker, which already honored 13 local leaders, at a Peace and Justice Celebration on Sunday, October 11, 2015. People: Bill Thorpe, Dean Smith, Mark Kleinschmidt Place: Peace and Justice Plaza, Chapel Hill · Also named: William ThorpeSearch the index · North Carolina Newspapers: The Carolina Times, October 10, 2015, page 2

People named in the same events

People named in the same dated entries as Dean Smith, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

Indexed works

Works about or by Dean Smith. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it. Background reading appears below.

Filter these works by material, period, or place. Counts refer to works, not individual copies. A work may appear under more than one period or place.

Material

Biography 26Photographs & portraits 16Histories 11Interviews 1Newspapers 1other types 1

Period

20th century 13World War II era 1

Place

North Carolina (statewide) 29Orange County 14Chapel Hill 6Hillsborough 1

By Dean Smith

The Carolina Way

Smith, Dean; Bell, Gerald D. · 2004

Dean Smith, head basketball coach at the University of North Carolina from 1961 to 1997, wrote this book with Gerald D. Bell in 2004 under the subtitle Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching. It treats basketball coaching and the philosophy of athletic coaching, with Smith himself as a subject.

Durham

Dean Smith papers, 1915-2013

Smith, Dean, 1931-2015 · 1915

Papers of the basketball coach Dean Smith (1931-2015), dated 1915 to 2013, approximately 13,500 items in 55.5 linear feet, part of the Southern Historical Collection at UNC, collection 5576. Topics include his Kansas boyhood and student newspapers there, the North Carolina Tar Heels, newspaper sports columns, his retirement, and the writers John Kilgo and Sally Jenkins.

UNC

About Dean Smith

Game Changers

Chansky, Art · 2016

Art Chansky's 2016 account of Dean Smith, Charlie Scott and the years that changed Chapel Hill as a Southern college town. Scott was the first Black scholarship player in the Carolina basketball program. Topics include civil rights, racism in sports and the university's twentieth-century history.

Included because: Catalog heading in the OCPL record: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015.

✓ Held at OCPL · 796.323 CHANSKY NC Cardinal UNC Duke NC State NCCU Durham Chapel Hill PL Library of Congress Methodist CH Historical Society

Light Blue Reign

Chansky, Art · 2009

Art Chansky's 2009 history of the Carolina basketball dynasty that three coaches, Frank McGuire and Dean Smith among them, built at the University of North Carolina. Smith wrote the foreword and Rick Brewer the introduction. Chapters cover Final Fours, the Larry Brown bond, recruiting and the program's records.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015.

NC Cardinal UNC Duke NC State Durham Chapel Hill PL Library of Congress CH Historical Society

The Tar Heels: A History of UNC Basketball, Volume 2, Dean Smith, 1961-1969

Smith, Ron · 2023

Second volume of Ron Smith's history of University of North Carolina basketball, covering the Dean Smith years from 1961 to 1969. Published in 2023.

Included because: Listed as its creator.

The Tar Heels: A History of UNC Basketball, Volume 1, 1891-1961

Smith, Ron · 2021 · Creative Trends, LLC

Ron Smith's large-format illustrated history of University of North Carolina basketball, issued by Creative Trends in 2021 in volumes measuring 32 cm. Volume 1 runs from 1891 to 1961, with a foreword by Larry Brown; volume 2 covers Dean Smith's first years as head coach, 1961 to 1969, with a foreword by Curry Kirkpatrick. Illustrations, portraits and facsimiles, some in color, appear throughout.

Included because: Listed as its creator.

NC Cardinal UNC

The Legends Club

Feinstein, John · 2016

John Feinstein's account of the three coaches who defined Triangle college basketball in the 1980s: Dean Smith (1931-2015) at North Carolina, Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and Jim Valvano (1946-1993) at N.C. State, all working within a few miles of one another. Feinstein follows the recruiting contests, the rivalry among the three programs and the personal competition among the three men, which was not always friendly, and the pressure that came with national attention. Published by Doubleday in 2016, 404 pages with plates.

Included because: Catalog heading in the Durham record: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015.

✓ Held at OCPL · 796.323 FEINSTEI NC Cardinal UNC Duke Durham Chapel Hill PL NCCU

100 Things North Carolina Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die

Chansky, Art · 2015 · Triumph Books

Art Chansky's checklist of trivia for followers of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball: one hundred things a fan should know or do, drawn from the program's history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with coaches Dean Smith and Roy Williams among the names covered. Published by Triumph Books of Chicago in 2015, 287 pages with illustrations.

Included because: Their name appears in the record.

NC Cardinal UNC Library of Congress
Show 5 more about Dean Smith

A Coach's Life: My Forty Years in College Basketball

Smith, Dean E. · 1999 · Random House

Dean Smith's autobiography of forty years in college basketball, most of them as head coach of the Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina, published by Random House in 1999. It runs 350 pages with 48 pages of plates.

Included because: Catalog heading in the NC Cardinal record: Smith, Dean.

Duke NC State NC Cardinal Durham Chapel Hill PL UNC CH Historical Society

Dean's Domain

Chansky, Art · 1999 · Longstreet

North Carolina sportswriter Art Chansky's account of Dean Smith and the basketball program he built at the University of North Carolina, subtitled the inside story of Dean Smith and his college basketball empire. Published by Longstreet in Atlanta in 1999, 302 pages with illustrations.

Included because: Catalog heading in the Chapel Hill PL record: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015.

UNC NC Cardinal Durham Chapel Hill PL Library of Congress

The Dean's List

Chansky, Art · 1996 · Warner Books

Art Chansky's celebration of Tar Heel basketball and Dean Smith, published in 1996 as Smith neared the end of his coaching career at the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels and the university's basketball history are its subjects. Published by Warner Books in New York, 152 pages with illustrations, some in color, in a large format.

Included because: Catalog heading in the OCPL record: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015.

✓ Held at OCPL · 796.323 CHA UNC NC Cardinal Durham Library of Congress

The Dean Smith Story

Mumau, Thad · 1980 · Strode Publishers

Thad Mumau's biography of Dean Smith (1931-2015), the University of North Carolina basketball coach, published in 1980 with the subtitle More than a Coach. It concerns basketball coaches, North Carolina biography and Tar Heel basketball. Issued by Strode Publishers of Huntsville, Alabama, 224 pages with illustrations.

Included because: Catalog heading in the Durham record: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015.

NC Cardinal UNC Duke Durham Chapel Hill PL Library of Congress CH Historical Society

Search all 72 indexed works →

Start at OCPL

Books in OCPL’s Rebecca B. Wall Local History Collection whose titles, catalog subjects, or descriptions match this person. The Friends’ recommended starting points are labelled.

  • Start here · 796.323 CHANSKY Game Changers: Dean Smith, Charlie Scott, and the Era That Transformed A Southern College Town Chansky, Art · 2016

    Art Chansky's 2016 account of Dean Smith, Charlie Scott and the years that changed Chapel Hill as a Southern college town. Scott was the first Black scholarship player in the Carolina basketball program. Topics include civil rights, racism in sports and the university's twentieth-century history.

  • Foundational · NC BIO SMITH MUM Dean Smith: A Biography Mumau, Thad · 1990

    Biography of Dean Smith, the University of North Carolina basketball coach, by Thad Mumau, published by J. F. Blair in Winston-Salem in 1990. A revised edition of the author's 'The Dean Smith Story' from 1980, 287 pages with illustrations.

Places in this person’s story

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows them all.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

All places and the county map →

Research sources

Sources and research tools for this person. For ready-made searches of other catalogs, see Search further. Research guide: Trace a family through historical records.

Background

Records of the time

Collections and databases

Local help

Search further

Search other catalogs and collections for this name. Results may include other people with the same name and have not been reviewed by the Friends.

Books about Dean Smith

Books by Dean Smith

Find copies at other libraries

Photographs, papers, and newspapers

Historical records and collections

Catalog searches use the Library of Congress name heading: Smith, Dean, 1931-2015. Historical-record searches use the person’s name and may include namesakes. Links open in a new tab.

Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.

Picture: Dean Smith, 1973. Public domain. Photograph by University of North Carolina; UNC Basketball Blue Book; via Wikimedia Commons

More to discover

Keep Reading Local

The Friends connect people with new library materials, local writers and publishers, and resources documenting Orange County.

Browse New Arrivals → Meet Local Authors → Explore Local Publishers →
Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026