Ironically, both coaches developed dementia along the way (Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia). As he famously said at Smiths retirement news conference, I always thought we would ride off into the sun together.. To combat that fatigue, every summer, Smiths assistant coaches urged him to get out and enjoy life. It was an admirable, honorable action for Smith to take and Guthridge went on to win 80 games in three seasons. 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. He said Friday he now knows how Smith felt in 1997 when he stepped down. I wouldve never thought of that in a million years.. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. Coach Smith began showing signs of cognitive impairment before Coach Guthridge did. He had recently been in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill. Guthridge was completely committed to Carolina basketball, and he wanted to make sure everyone else in the program felt the same way. One of the things that made (Smith) so special was his ability to be innovative so certainly, I think we would have had some other ways to attack in a game that we struggled, against Utah in the Final Four.. He previously worked at The Charlotte Observer as a Carolina Panthers beat reporter, and his writing has also appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Boston Globe and The Baltimore Sun. 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. (LogOut/ 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. 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. He was inducted into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. 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. Maybe Phil Ford wouldve been the head coach then, Ndiaye says. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and yet Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant. But when Baddour and Guthridge did finally meet, Guthridge expressed a desire to try his hand. He was known to answer a question such as Coach, do you know what time it is? with a Yes as he walked away. In retrospect, Smiths premature exit was a mistake on all fronts. That team still went 34-4, losing to Utah in the Final Four. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun announced his retirement Thursday. And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. Showdown in Durham: NC State and Duke battle for ACC, NCAA seeding, Brownlow: NC State, Duke and Carolina all look to avenge ACC losses on busy basketball Saturday, Welter: I'm not mad, Carolina, just disappointed, AP source: Panthers to meet with QB Derek Carr at combine. That startling decision equated to the ultimate professional sacrifice. At which point, Baddour faced as unenviable a position as any athletic director in the country: Who do you hire to fill Dean Smiths shoes? He was 77. 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. And had Smith gone until age 71 or 72, as did Kentuckys Adolph Rupp, Carolina would have won another 50-60 games and the transition to Roy Williams might have happened seamlessly. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Former University of North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge, who also served 30 years as an assistant to Dean Smith, died Tuesday night at age 77, university officials confirmed on Wednesday. Ironically, both coaches developed dementia along the way (Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia). 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. Born William Wallace Guthridge, he attended Kansas State University where he played guard on the basketball team and helped the Wildcats. Some fans criticized Guthridge last season when the Tar Heels went through a four-game losing streak in January and entered the post-season with 13 losses. When 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. Why would a healthy 66-year-old call it quits and relinquish the chance to coach that team? So I just feel like we got robbed.. Had it worked out where there wasnt a down year or whatever, maybe things end up differently, Frederick says. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss in 1999. Hed have retired with a championship trophy, and then let someone else step right in, Ndiaye says. Doherty was criticized from the moment he was hired, for breaking somewhat from Smith and Guthridges family dynamic; that scrutiny only intensified in his second season, when UNC bottomed out to a program-worst record of 8-20. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion In public, he was never going to be the center of attention. In 1998, Guthridge inherited a team that had been to the 1997 Final Four the previous year under Smith. Smith was fresh off his 11th Final Four and had just passed Adolph Rupp for the most wins by any college basketball coach in history. in mathematics in 1960 and an M.A. If Williams had said no, then who might have been offered the job? You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. Assistant coach Phil Ford is at right. Chapel Hill, N.C. For all of his wins and championships, the Olympic gold medal, tactical innovations, social impact and fertile coaching tree, Dean Smiths unselfishness defined his career to an enormous, but often overlooked, extent. The perception of Smiths program might have been that it ran without emotion. 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. After Smith retired in October 1997, then-athletic director Dick Baddour elevated Guthridge to the top job. Theres no way you could dream, Hanners says, anyone would necessarily do better.. But Baddour explained to the chancellor that because of Williams respect for Guthridge, hed never have taken the job over his friend. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. He was an unbelievable assistant to Coach Smith. 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. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. He set NCAA records for most wins by a first-year head coach with 34, and for wins in his first two years with 58. 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. in education in 1963. I think its time I make this decision. Having grown up in North Carolina and gone to school here and worked here, I think it was probably just destiny.. Because I know Coach Smiths plan long-term, at least at that time, was to prepare the team for Phil to take over.. He had interviewed for the Texas job, which went to Rick Barnes, after the 1998 season, after all. I needed Bill to tell me, Dick, yes, I want to do this, Baddour says, and he was clear that he wanted to.. He was extremely special, important to every player, every coach who ever worked here. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. (LogOut/ Hed have been a lifer, Hanners says. The Tar Heels finished first or tied for first in the ACC regular season 16 times, finished second or tied for second in the ACC regular season 11 times and finished third or tied for third in the ACC regular season six times. Spend time with family. Think about it: Youve been an assistant coach for 30-plus years. Former UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour: Bill was one of the most respected and admired people I have known. One year against Laurinburg, Hanners squad was down about 18 with under nine minutes to play; suddenly, he felt Ford come up behind him. Division regular season champion If Bill Guthridge doesnt look familiar to you as a UNC-Chapel Hill head basketball coach, theres a very good reason for that. He was a father figure.". 33 yrs on UNC bench. He held tight. Ford whispered for Hanners to try running 21 defense really sagging off defenders, even inside the 3-point line. Theres no right answer, no certainty. Guthridge also took a less talented team to the Final Four in 2000. 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. The following year, with the program bordering on a mutiny, Doherty resigned. Elizabeth A. Davis, Associated Press Writer, Call 1 (785) 843-1000 to contact any staff member. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life. Ndiaye even tried cracking the ice by joking that Guthridges years as head coach probably hadnt hurt his wallet. I think its time to turn it over to somebody else, he said at a campus news conference. Jordan is among many Tar Heels who had tremendous respect for Guthridge. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He still had four seasons remaining on his contract, enough to carry him to the summer of 2001. Together, they taught us basketball is secondary. 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. With Williams, it was the restoration of the family, three national championships and potentially many more years. He was on the sidelines for a record 73 NCAA Tournament victories, including 71 at Carolina and two at Kansas State. At that point, Baddour turned to Matt Doherty, who had been the coach at Notre Dame for just one season. The spring of 1997, it seemed, was no different. 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