Former UNC basketball head coach Dean Smith had one final gift for his players specified in his will. Photo by David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/MCT via Getty Images
It turns out that Dean Smith, the late, legendary head coach for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team, had one last play drawn out for his former players.
Smith, who passed away in February at the age of 83, requested in his will that each and every one of his former players be sent a $200 check from his trust. Players each received a letter that included a message from their former coach, asking that they “enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean Smith.”
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Sports Illustrated calculates that Smith coached 184 players in his 36-year coaching tenure at UNC, making for a grand total of more than $36,000 paid out. While coaching from 1961 to 1997, Smith’s teams won 879 games and 2 NCAA championships.
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