Dean Smith,
the legendary coach of the University of North Carolina’s men’s basketball
team, has died at age 83.
While Smith’s basketball accomplishments are well known, new
light has been shed on his fight for racial equality in sports and life. Smith
was urged by his pastor to recruit an African-American player, this during the
swelling heights of the Civil Rights Movement and statewide resistance to
racial equality in the Deep South. Smith needed to recruit a player that could
handle UNC’s rigid coursework and deal with the racism and threats that was
sure to come.
New York player Charles “Charlie” Scott became that
recruit. Smith became an advocate for Black players and students. In 1964, Smith desegregated a lunch counter in North Carolina by sitting and
eating lunch with a Black theology student. Smith was beloved for protecting
his Black players as well as he could. Smith also encouraged his players to complete their education and top stars
like
Michael Jordan
and
Vince
Carter returned to complete their degrees after leaving early for
the NBA. In fact, Smith has seen a reported 96 percent graduation rate among
his former players.
(Photo by
Zeke Smith)
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