Former University of North Carolina head basketball coach Dean Smith passed away last month but still had one final gift for his former players.
Smith left in his will that every former letterman who played for him at North Carolina is to receive a check of $200 for a “dinner out.” The checks were sent out on Monday to about 180 former UNC players.
“We never expected anything like this,” said Jeb Barlow, who lettered at UNC from 1980-1982. “But it doesn’t surprise me that this was done.”
Tim Breedlove the trustee of Smith’s trust fund said this isn’t surprising to those who knew the hall of fame coach.
“This was the kind of man that he was,” Breedlove said. “It’s one more example of his thoughtfulness.”
“My wife opened the letter and handed it to me,” said former player Serge Zwikker who played at UNC from 1993-1997. “At first I didn’t know what it was, but when it hit me, it put a tear in my eye. Even after he passed, he was still all about his players.”
Zwikker also said that he wishes that Smith’s getsure was kept quiet saying that his former coach wouldn’t have wanted this to be publisized.
Smith went 879-254 in his 36 years at North Carolina, the only school at which he ever coached. The Tar Heels won two National Titles in 1982 and 1993 with Smith at the helm.
