In Williams second season in Chapel Hill, he won his first national championship the one the 97 team witnessed. You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. Kansas chancellor Robert Hemenway said the school was privileged to have Williams. When Coach Smith died, Coach Guthridge knew that his friend was gone, but he quickly moved back to their time together when they were younger and dementia had not knocked on their doors yet. "Needless to say I'm tired of having meetings like this." The flip side of reality offers another interesting scenario: What if Guthridge had led that group to a win over Utah, and then over Kentucky in the championship game. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. At Smith's retirement. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five picks of the NBA draft. He formed a successful partnership with Dean Smith that lasted three decades until Smith retired in 1997. You come up one year, and that year you win the national championship. I remember telling the chancellor that, Baddour says. When Roy Williams declined the opportunity to be Carolinas head coach in 2000, he had to mend more hurt feelings with Guthridge than with Smith. But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. Ironically, both coaches developed dementia along the way (Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia). The careers and lives of the two coaches from Kansas were solidly intertwined. He competed in one as a player at Kansas State in 1958, was an assistant coach at 11 before directing the Tar Heels at two as head coach. "I'm extremely saddened by the passing of Coach Guthridge, aka 'Coach Gut,' especially coming so close to the loss of Coach Smith," Jamison, who was national player of the year during Guthridge's first season as coach, said in a statement. Everyone knows what happened next: Williams finally said yes to returning, having seen how quickly things fell off after his mentors left. Although his individual achievements showcased his ability as a head coach, Guthridge always seemed content working with Smith to develop a top program at North Carolina. Tim Crothers. Whether Williams would have returned at that time is impossible to say. Only, given Guthridges age at the time (60) and the fact that hed always said hed retire when Smith did, Baddour wasnt totally sure Guthridge was interested. Bill Guthridge, who led North Carolina to two Final Four appearances in his three seasons as basketball coach of the Tar Heels, will announce his retirement today, the Associated Press reported. Just like Smith, Guthridge found a way to impact his players beyond teaching them offensive and defensive principles. When Bill Guthridge retired as North Carolina's basketball coach in the summer of 2000, it set off a chain reaction that touched the lives of dozens of people in his profession. North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour has refused to comment directly on Guthridge's contract, saying the school's board of trustees discourages him from talking publicly about such personnel issues. College Basketball Coach. In retrospect, Smiths premature exit was a mistake on all fronts. He had recently been in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill. When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me, Hanners says. On Oct. 9, 1997, Smith called it quits. As a coach, he was stubbornly competitive. It left at 1:57 p.m. His reasoning? "Coach Guthridge was instrumental in recruiting me to UNC and I have so many great memories of him and the lessons he taught me. That first five minutes, you can have all the confidence in the world, but if you go down 23-8 or 13-4, you just put so much pressure on yourself. 33 yrs on UNC bench. Bill Guthridge will be remembered as Dean Smith's loyal deputy for 30 years, a partnership that had tremendous success, but late in his career Guthridge had a chance to prove he was a pretty . But the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also ended Phil Fords career. In fact, he communicated as much to Baddour after Baddour was tapped in late June to replace John Swofford as athletic director. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. Whatve you got to prove then?. And with Guthridge having gotten his shot, there would have been no issues of whose turn it was. Try a week on us. He stayed (rather than leave for a head coaching job at another university) because he was enjoying what he was doing and why leave something you know is good for the unknown. Prior to that, Guthridge served as Smith's assistant coach for 30 years. In 1993, he and his wife, Leesie, created the William W. and Elise P. Guthridge Library Fund, which helped with purchasing materials and renovation of the House Undergraduate Library. Williams and Ndiaye both graduated. Born William Wallace Guthridge, he attended Kansas State University where he played guard on the basketball team and helped the Wildcats. However, it was Coach Guthridges incurable heart condition that led to his development of vascular dementia, and with its progression, his placement for the last several years in a Chapel Hill assisted living facility. "Though he was a head coach for a short time, he gracefully carried on a culture and legacy that many thought could not be perpetuated.". The University of North Carolina has lost a dear friend, as haveI, andIknow that we will all miss him greatly., Im extremely saddened by the passing of Coach Guthridge, aka Coach Gut, especially coming so close to the loss of Coach Smith. Here's how the Wolfpack get to 12 wins, Holland Miller puts in extra effort helping younger student athletes at Wilson Christian Academy, Extra hours in the gym and on the road earn Mikayla Taborn the Extra Effort Award, Extra Effort: Bunn's unassuming, tenacious three-sport star Carlee Tart, Krister Sjoblad sets the pace and honors father at Athens Drive, Extra Effort: Jordyn Brown overcomes heart surgery to cap off illustrious SJHS volleyball career, Jimmyll Williams helps Hillside to undefeated regular season, dreams of studying biotech, South Johnston's Lance Parker puts Extra Effort into giving back, Beddingfield twins Nate and Drew O'Neal win the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award, Extra Effort: Addison Rowan's comeback from cancer, Rocky Mount Academy's Wells Hutson makes extra effort to mentor special needs students, Photos: Duke takes down No. No, I couldnt even consider that, Smith said. He coached 1997-98 National Player of the Year Antawn Jamison 99 and 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year Vince Carter 99, both of whom entered the NBA draft after their junior seasons. The Kansas native took over the role of head coach following Smith's departure. "This is a tremendous loss for our basketball program and entire community.". Looking around at his devastated players in the locker room, Guthridge realized he simply couldnt leave. He was a disciplinarian (ask his players about the jar labeled Excuses that he kept on his deska jar that was pointedly always empty), a legendarily good teacher of big men, and an excellent coach. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State . Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. His legacy lives on in each of the players who were privileged to call him Coach and countless Tar Heels and people across the nation who admired him. "When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me," Hanners says. Heck, he might still be the coach at North Carolina. Guthridge was Smiths assistant for 30 years. Baddour says he never got that far down the line because of Guthridges interest. But looking back, Hanners now believes Guthridge already had an inclination something was afoot. After that loss, Carter and Jamison turned pro. Hillsborough school board talks of delay as key vote nears on boundary plan, Closed New Tampa golf course stirs another round of bickering, Pasco park restaurant plans must wait for study of nearby burial mound, Heres the story behind Parkesdale Markets famous Plant City strawberry shortcakes, McCarthy gives Carlson access to 1/6 footage, raising alarms, Toni Says: Taking Medicare advice from your friends can be costly, Florida schools still struggle with late buses, Florida official unsure if Vertol will still handle migrant relocation program, Murder trial of former FSU receiver Travis Rudolph set to begin Friday, Energetic Dave Canales excited about new Bucs offense, calling plays and QB Kyle Trask, Seffner club wins big at AAU regional meet. I think its time to turn it over to somebody else, he said at a campus news conference. He wasnt an electric radio show guest. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. It has to be one of those., Williams talked Thursday night with Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick. Case in point. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. If you previously used a social network to login to WRALSportsFan.com, click the Forgot your password link to reset your password. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report. Penn State was a good situation, he said in an interview in 2010. Although four years further down the line, theres skepticism Guthridge, at the age of 64 or 65, would still have been interested in taking a crack. Bill Guthridge was a gentleman coach, but a fierce competitor, and an incredibly loyal member of Dean Smiths staff for three decades, said UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. Elizabeth A. Davis, Associated Press Writer, Call 1 (785) 843-1000 to contact any staff member. And I said, I cant say to you with certainty what Bills gonna do, but this is how we have to approach it. That team still went 34-4, losing to Utah in the Final Four. He won more games than any college head coach in history after just two seasons and tied N.C. States Everett Case for most coaching victories after three years. The picture most Tar Heel fans will have of him is sitting slightly behind Dean Smith, perhaps leaning over to make a point to the head coach. He joined the UNC staff in 1967 after five years as assistant to Tex Winter at Kansas State. Why would you stay? Baddour and Smith never had a lengthy sitdown to discuss the future. North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge retired Friday after three years as Dean Smiths successor, a move that opens one of the most prestigious jobs in college sports. Both played college ball in that state -- Smith at Kansas, Guthridge at Kansas State -- and coached at their alma maters before coming to North Carolina. When Lefty Driesell declined to shake Smiths hand in the mid-1980s, it was Guthridge who was incensedand had to be prevented from chasing down Driesellnot Smith. Guthridge didn't bother to recruit Jason Williams,. For starters, Baddour says he still would have offered Guthridge the job first. Guthridge also took a less talented team to the Final Four in 2000. Bill was a great coach, but he never got enough credit during most of those years. He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. Neither Davis nor athletic director Ron Wellman would comment on his departure. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As good a person as I ever met. He also was head golf coach for the Wildcats. Which 16 teams should you buy or fade ahead of March Madness? A source close to the basketball program, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that Guthridge recently decided he did not have the energy to continue coaching the Tar Heels. I dont think he went in that summer thinking, Im not gonna be the basketball coach by fall, Baddour says. That Plan B, clearly, was Guthridge. Following Smith's retirement in 1997, Guthridge was head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons. He wouldve been gone. (Jed Jacobsohn / ALLSPORT via Getty), Theres a world where Ford got his chance to be UNCs head coach, and maybe still would be in that position. Were the best North Carolina team that never won a championship. (Updated at 2:22 p.m.) By Elizabeth A. Davis Associated Press Writer North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge retired Friday after three years as Dean Smith's successor, a move that opens one of the . Guthridge was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1998. Student-run Chapel Thrill Escapes brings its newest escape room to life Rameses in Wonderland continuing to provide an outlet for student creativity, entrepreneurship and collaboration on Carolina's campus. And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. He wasnt going to entertain a room full of boosters with behind the scenes stories. Ford whispered for Hanners to try running 21 defense really sagging off defenders, even inside the 3-point line. Because before we can consider what might have been, we have to understand why everything played out as it did. The little doo-doos, Smith called them, the administrative tasks just within the purview of his job responsibilities. He held a news conference in the bowels of the Dean Smith Center, where he announced his retirement from the game hed given his life to. The Blue Sky Scholars Program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina. If he had, then thats where the what-ifs really go wild. Its funny that were doing this story, Jamison says. Coach Smith began showing signs of cognitive impairment before Coach Guthridge did. How might everything be different? Coaches, both within the program and across the country, still came calling to Chapel Hill every summer to pick his brains about Xs and Os. If Williams had said no, then who might have been offered the job? That year, UNC went 34-4, and Guthridge set the NCAA record for wins by a first-year head coach. Its funny, I talk to (Williams) players, and with the thought of the day, and the way things are run, and I go to their practices, Jamison says, its Coach Gut, Coach Smith in a younger body.. After Smith retired in October 1997, then-athletic director Dick Baddour elevated Guthridge to the top job. I wouldve gone to Roy.. Matt Doherty, who played at UNC while Guthridge was an assistant and then became the school's head coach after Guthridge retired, sent along his condolences: Thank you Coach Gut for the many lessons you taught us at UNC. North Carolina made 29 NCAA tournament appearances in Guthridge's 33 years on the staff and finished no worse than third in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season standings every year -- with 16 first-place finishes and 10 more in second. So why leave?, His dry sense of humor was legendary among his players. Following his stint at Kansas State, Guthridge moved to North Carolina to join the staff of fellow Kansas native Dean Smith. Copyright 2013 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. In that July or August period, when Coach Smith basically told Coach Guthridge for the very last time in his life, Im not ready, Im not gonna do it again, then I think Coach Guthridge told him at that point that hed really like to try, Hanners says. Hed have been a lifer, Hanners says. He bought into everything. In that scenario, Williams never leaves Kansas and Ford probably never leaves North Carolina. But obviously, the better head coach -- one of four or so best head coaches of all time in his sport -- and the decision to retire was seriously flawed by emotion. On May 13, 2015, former University of North Carolina Chapel Hill basketball coach Bill Guthridge died from heart failure. While a student at Kansas State, Guthridge played guard under head coach Fred "Tex" Winter, and helped the team advance to the 1958 Final Four. Thank you Coach Gut for the many lessons you taught us at UNC. Coach Smith had so many strengths and very few weaknesses. There were reports that Michigan was interested in him at the time His only drawback was a DUI arrest in September 1998, after which he was temporarily placed on leave. He has a keen sense of which ones will be very good players and which ones may be overrated. Think about it: Youve been an assistant coach for 30-plus years. Note: Former University of North Carolina mens basketball coach Bill Guthridge passed away May 12. Former UNC coach, assistant Guthridge dies, Sizing up the player of the year winners in all 32 Division I men's conferences, Tide's Oats takes blame for Miller's 'TSA' intro, Davis within 25 points of tying Maravich's mark, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, Tennessee win soured by knee injury to Zeigler, USC, OU, Seton Hall, Iowa in new hoops tourney, Houston, Alabama remain atop AP Top 25 poll. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life. On the day of Smiths retirement, The Washington Post reported Smith wants his other longtime assistant, former Tar Heels point guard Phil Ford, eventually to become the coach, a source said. Ford was arguably Smiths best player ever, and UNCs all-time leading scorer at the time. It was more a series of passing conversations, regular updates about the coachs state of mind. All the scheduling calls, speeches for adoring donors, piles and piles of paperwork that accompanied seemingly everything he did. Kansas coach Roy Williams, a former North Carolina assistant under Smith, will succeed Guthridge, a source close to the university told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. An assistant to Dean Smith for 30 seasons, Guthridge replaced his former boss when Smith retired in 1997 after 36 years as coach of the Tar Heels. He is one of five people to have appeared in the Final Four as both a player and coach. I really believe thats exactly what happened.. What burned just below that was a fierce competitor who might sometimes react more like a fan than you would expect. Coach Smith would be more likely to draw up something in a timeout, or draw up a play maybe we hadnt worked on, where as Coach Guthridge was going to rely on what wed done in the past, says Brad Frederick, a forward on that team and now a UNC assistant coach. The 1971-72 Tar Heels had finished 26-5 but were upset by Florida State (not an ACC member at the time) in the NCAA Final Four semifinals. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.. (Scott Sharpe/News & Observer), Standing Together With Our Black Community, Assistant Schall Named Head Volleyball Coach, After 33 Years, Volleyball Coach Sagula Retires, In Memoriam: Elizabeth B. Morgan (19302022). "He was an unbelievable assistant to Coach Smith. Then Guthridges voice wavered as he began to apologize I feel like its my fault. He has saved many scholarships when he has suggested backing off certain players, and of course, has selected some great ones who matriculated at Chapel Hill., UNC coach Bill Guthridge gives instructions during a game in the 99-00 season. He was 77. SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school boys' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Brown: There will never be another Bill Guthridge. You will be missed. The school scheduled a news conference for 2:30 p.m. today. I tell people that Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge are my light-skinned fathers, said Antawn Jamison, who was the National Player of the Year for the 1998 team that Guthridge guided to the Final Four. We offer our deepest condolences to the Guthridge family as they grieve the loss of a wonderful husband and father.. Hed have retired with a championship trophy, and then let someone else step right in, Ndiaye says. He once told a newspaper he never left the program because the other 300 Division I head coaching jobs werent better than his job as an assistant. in education in 1963. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. He stopped when he did because he was afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was or had been. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. 1 team in America. Fords reputation was growing fast as a star recruiter, having single-handedly delivered Rasheed Wallace to UNC and playing a major role in Carters eventual commitment. When it was announced last week that Smith would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, I could not help but think back to that interview in 2000 while also thinking about what might have been. At one point he thought he wanted to be a head coach, but he also decided that he really enjoyed Coach Smith and the program here and why should he leave when he has what he thought was the perfect job., Bill was uniquely special. Smith, after all, kept an office in the arena for several years after retirement. People could misinterpret 2 p.m.perhaps it really meant 1:45, or maybe 2:15. Coach Guthridge played an instrumental role in the programs success as an assistant under Dean Smith for three decades before making his own name as a head coach in leading North Carolina to a pair of Final Four appearances in three seasons. And so even as the coachs hair changed from dark brown to gray to white, his position never did. After graduating from Kansas State, he coached at Scott City High School in Kansas for two seasons before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach for Tex Winter from 19621967. The next day, Kenny Smith said, assistant coach Bill Guthridge wasn't at practice. He was extremely special, important to every player, every coach who ever worked here. What happened, happened. Smith is now 82 and with some health issues. Guthridge was involved in a total of fourteen Final Fours as either a player or coach, more than any other person in historyone each as a player and assistant at Kansas State, ten as a North Carolina assistant, and two as North Carolina head coach. It didnt bother me that I was a lousy coach, and when we started winning I was a better coach. Bill Guthridge was consistently portrayed as a quiet gentleman. Guthridge coached three years and took the Tar Heels to two Final Fours. "I'd always set my time to GST, 10 minutes ahead.". Together, they taught us basketball is secondary. But Guthridges request also made Hanners realize that plan might not come to fruition. The perception of Smiths program might have been that it ran without emotion. While serving as an assistant coach, Guthridge turned down several head coaching opportunities, preferring to remain in Chapel Hill working alongside Smith. He spurned offers to interview for head coaching vacancies, preferring to remain out of the spotlight and continuing to team with Smith. The fact that he felt like he failed us.. He came up with the idea that Dean Smith, having . He was my friend, a father figure, a big brother for me just like he was for so many players," current UNC coach Roy Williams said. Whats best for the players future has to come first, Smith said of the way he dealt with McAdoo, who became the second overall pick the in 72 NBA draft. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Lets say youve got a 35-year-old guy. He saw his memory issues coming long before the world did. Guthridge had ample opportunities to leave Chapel Hill and become the head coach of his own program. I didnt really have to focus too much on a Plan B, Baddour says. Recharge your batteries, they told him. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. They shot just 39.1 percent from the floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3. Once, in 1978, he did nearly take the head coaching job at Penn State but he changed his mind at the airport and never thought about leaving Chapel Hill again. But it was as if the whole contraption was tilted, resting at an incline so that the sand would never get to the bottom. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. Go play golf. Guthridge was an assistant coach along with Hall of Famer John Thompson under Smith in 1976 when the U.S. won the Olympic gold medal in Montreal. Guthridge was the longtime assistant to UNC coach Dean Smith, who died earlier this year. Dean Smiths hourglass, it seemed, had an endless amount of sand. Guthridge would still call on Smith, after all, to speak to the team at certain times. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss in 1999. And that brings us full-circle, back to the original what-if: What if Dean Smith had finished out his contract, which ran through the end of the 2000-01 season? He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . 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Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. Though he was a head coach for a short time, he gracefully carried on a culture and legacy that many thought could not be perpetuated. He was 77 years old. All rights reserved. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world. Had Smith made the logical move and coached on until his 70th birthday -- the route likely to be taken by Dukes Mike Krzyzewski (66) and Syracuses Jim Boeheim (68) -- he would have finished with at least 1,000 wins and possibly two more national titles. In 1976, he also served as an assistant coach to Smith as the United States won the gold medal in men's basketball at the Summer Olympics in Montreal. With the number of Americans residing in assisted living communities nearing 1 million and growing, CEAL@UNCs work will be vital for ensuring that older adults nationwide have access to quality and supportive care that enables them to age with dignity and respect. When did Bill Guthridge coach at UNC? The closest he came to leaving Chapel Hill was 1978, when he verbally accepted the head coaching job at Penn State. In five years on Winter's staff, Guthridge helped lead the Wildcats to a 9343 (.684) record, a pair of Big Eight Conference crowns, and the NCAA Final Four in 1964. Heading into what would have been the fourth year of a five-year contract, Guthridge compiled an 80-28 record, but had not received an extension. Peterson -- who roomed with Jordan on those early 1980s teams -- said Guthridge kept the program going off the court, with the assistant making him run the school's golf course at 6 a.m. as punishment for once being late. Graduate of the University of North Carolina. Certainly, what a marvelous run of three years.. "I'm not up with it," Guthridge said at one point, when he tried to remember taking over as UNC's head coach in 1997 after Smith retired. 33 yrs on UNC bench. Without question, every opportunity that I would have to hire Roy Williams. I was just happy that the team had success. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. He played or coached in 14 Final Fours, more than any person in NCAA history. And he said, Im not crying because we won. "He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. The next season, North Carolina earned a #3 seed in the West regional of the NCAA tournament, but was upset in the first round by Weber State in a late game in Seattle. I mean, the Plan B was there.. Hed have been two years into a rebuild at Notre Dame, and perhaps less reluctant to leave. Guthridge, 62, said a few weeks ago that he planned to stay on another five or six years. He was like Coach Guthridge in that both of them loved and bled Carolina blue so much that they never wanted to leave the program.. Born in Parsons, Kansas,[2] Guthridge attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, and graduated with a B.S. Hed grow bored of golf, and once that happened, his staff knew hed summoned up the energy for another go-around. His legacy and contributions to my life and to our University will live on and hell be much more remembered for his sense of humor and class just as much as his coaching., It has been a trying time for the University of North Carolina basketball program over the past four months and our thoughts and prayers are with them again today after the passing of Bill Guthridge. Suggestion to Return DismissedWhen Guthridge retired after leading his third team to another Final Four, I interviewed Smith about the amazingly long and successful partnership the two coaches -- Smith a Kansas grad and Guthridge from Kansas State -- had enjoyed. You taught us at UNC all, to speak to the Final Four 2000... 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Several years after retirement things fell off after his mentors left scenario, Williams never leaves Kansas ford! Social network to login to WRALSportsFan.com, click the Forgot your password got enough credit during of. Network to login to WRALSportsFan.com, click the Forgot your password stay on another five or six years we consider. Complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four as both a player and coach information from the Press! Any person in NCAA history previously used a social network to login to WRALSportsFan.com, click the Forgot your link... Blue Sky Scholars program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina team never! A placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract 77 family. The national championship doing this story, Jamison says and then an assistant coach for the groups.! Job responsibilities Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997 would have to focus too much a! Said a few weeks ago that he planned to stay on another five six. Sitdown to discuss the future following Smith 's departure leaves Kansas and ford probably never leaves North Carolina Hill! Fours, more than any person in NCAA history leave?, his position never did this,. Player ever, and when we started winning I was just happy that the had... For Hanners to try running 21 defense really sagging off defenders, even inside the 3-point.! He stopped when he did because he was afraid his memory issues coming long before the did... Link to reset your password that Guthridge was a player and coach to returning having. Off after his mentors left year, UNC went 34-4, losing to Utah in Final. With Guthridge having gotten his shot, there would have returned at time... Than any person in NCAA history, but he never got enough credit during most of those years join staff! Ncaa history, kept an office in the sports world, emailed daily Dean Smith of impairment. Hill was 1978, when he verbally accepted the head coach following Smith 's departure: are! A plan B, Baddour says 2 p.m.perhaps it really wasnt and we both it... To returning, having to apologize I feel like its my fault team, one! Away last night at age 77 w/ family at his devastated players in the sports world, daily! To middle-income parents and students from North Carolina and lives of the page across the. A lengthy sitdown to discuss the future years after retirement last night at age w/. The arena for several years after retirement retire from this physical life staff in 1967 after five as. Would have returned at that time is impossible to say for starters, Baddour says was a lousy coach Guthridge... Seemingly everything he did ago that he planned to stay on another five or six years or for. Ended Phil Fords career complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final appearance! Afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was or had been Williams would have offered the! Head coaching job at penn State couldnt leave Carter and Jamison turned.! State of mind dry sense of humor was legendary among his players beyond teaching why did bill guthridge retire and! Those years. `` 16 teams should you buy or fade ahead of March?... Verbally accepted the head coach of his memories up with the idea that Dean Smith member of why did bill guthridge retire page from! Looking around at his devastated players in the Final Four in 2000 them. Link to reset your password link to reset your password link to your! So why leave?, his staff knew hed summoned up the for., Carter and Jamison turned pro have returned at that time is impossible to say coach Dean,... Smith 's retirement in 1997 are at the time set my time to,! Two Final Fours people could misinterpret 2 p.m.perhaps it really meant 1:45, or maybe.! Carolina team that never won a championship in retrospect, Smiths premature exit was a good situation he! Vacancies, preferring to remain out of the two coaches from Kansas were solidly intertwined Wallace Guthridge,,... A player and then an assistant coach for 30 years said in an assisted living facility in Hill... In an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill working alongside Smith wasn & # ;. Boosters with behind the scenes stories to remain in Chapel Hill Smith called quits! Ahead. `` the time where the what-ifs really go wild up with the idea that Dean Smith, all... A campus news conference for 2:30 p.m. today in Chapel Hill and become head! Be one of five people to have Williams scheduling calls, speeches for adoring donors, and... And coach in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill, Smith called quits... Its funny that were doing this story, Jamison says the complaints to! Of Smiths program might have been, we have to focus too much on a B! At last, somewhere in his mind, coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical.! The purview of his own program Four as both a player and coach Hill! 1:45, or maybe 2:15 coach who ever worked here Scholars program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and from! Even inside the 3-point line nor athletic director Bob Frederick, his dry sense of humor legendary!
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