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North Carolina coaching great Dean Smith dies at 83
Obit Smith Heal
In a Nov. 19, 2006, file photo, Larry Brown, right, presents former North Carolina head basketball coach, Dean Smith, with a medal during Smith's induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo. Smith, the North Carolina basketball coaching great who won two national championships, died "peacefully" at his home Saturday night, Feb. 7, 2015, the school said in a statement Sunday from Smith's family. He was 83. - photo by ASSOCIATED PRESS/file
Dean Smith was more than simply a basketball coach. Yes, the retired Hall of Famer left North Carolina as the winningest coach in men's history after capturing two national titles along with the 1976 Olympic gold medal and coaching some of the sport's biggest names, Michael Jordan among them. But he also was an innovator who left a lasting influence on the sport, as well as someone known for his stand on civil rights driven by the belief that it was the right thing to do.