Notes From the Inside

[smallbigtall]

Exactly...and that was just the basketball side of the man, which I don't think was even the most important thing about him. Anyone who wasn't living in the rural south in the 1960s cannot fully appreciate what he did in the area of supporting civil rights & integration during that period of time.

Like all other WF grads & fans, I strongly disliked Smith in the 1970s & 1980s....when I was younger and thought that beating Carolina in basketball was, quite possibly, the most important thing in life. However, as I grew older & matured a little more, I realized that there were other things which were more important in life than winning a basketball game...even one as important as the one against hated Carolina. And after that I gradually...and grudgingly...acquired a deep appreciation and respect for the man, and not-so-grudgingly purchased and wore a UNC sweatshirt to the UNC/WFU game, for all the reasons I listed earlier...

Skins...and everyone else...has a right to his own opinion, but I just don't see anything about Dean Smith to warrant being called an "asshole".

fify

 

[deacsrus]

Good person or bad person. Liked by his players or not. The only relevant thing after FOUR years is that for every ACC game he wins, he loses the next four. Nuff said.

 

[SC DEAC]

BKF- great post about Dean. I feel the same way. God I hated him when I was a kid, but as an adult with some years behind me I truly think Dean was a great coach and better person. Dean >>>>>Coach K as a person and its not even close.

 

[mothersodear]

Hard to hold a grudge against a man suffering the devastation of Alzheimer's.

 

[WakeForestRanger]

BKF- great post about Dean. I feel the same way. God I hated him when I was a kid, but as an adult with some years behind me I truly think Dean was a great coach and better person. Dean >>>>>Coach K as a person and its not even close.

You'll soften on Coach K after he's been retired for a decade and a half as well.

 

[Milhouse]

Any truth to the rumor that Wellman's bike crash actually occurred on a tandem bike with lectro? That would really help to explain a lot.

ron, bz and lectro were recently spotted taking a bike ride

 

[RaleighDeacon]

I know you & others like to make a big deal about that.....but your simple minds don't seem to be able to comprehend fact that my hatred for Carolina was the very thing that made that one-time act (which, by the way, was at a football game, not a basketball game) so significant. I was trying to send the strongest possible signal of my fury over WF's treatment of Carl Tacy that had led to his resignation.....and what stronger signal could I send than wearing a sweatshirt of hated UNC at that game? You guys need to learn to think outside the box a little bit.

The fact is that I have probably pulled against Carolina in more games than anyone who posts on this board.....going all the way back to their NCAA title run in 1957, when I was the only person in my 5th grade class who was pulling for Yale, Canisius, Syracuse, Michigan State & Kansas against them. (Remember listening to every single game.)

And do you know of any other WF fan who was so distraught after a WF/UNC game that he left the coliseum and walked 13 miles? That's pretty damned strong stuff.

I don't even know what to say... I'm thinking most anyone seeing you wearing a UNC sweatshirt just thought you were a UNC fan.

 

[DistrictDeacon]

The people who knew me knew better.....and those are the people whom I was wearing it for....not the people whom I didn't even know. In those days, I reserved a Holiday Tours bus and took a group of 45-50 clients to the Carolina game each year. Every single person on that bus knew that I was a WF grad & rabid WF fan.....double scholarship sponsor at the time, too. When they saw me get on that bus in that Carolina sweatshirt, the shock effect let me know my point had been made in the most effective manner possible.

As I said, try thinking outside the box occasionally.

So to send a message to the WFU administration, you protested in a way that no one from the administration would understand?

 

[LilburnDeac]

BKF- great post about Dean. I feel the same way. God I hated him when I was a kid, but as an adult with some years behind me I truly think Dean was a great coach and better person. Dean >>>>>Coach K as a person and its not even close.

Dean Smith was the kind of coach that you loved to hate (because I could respect him outside of the context of UNC bball). Coach K is the kind of coach that you just hate (because he is an asshole)

 

[morrison2951]

Dean Smith was the kind of coach that you loved to hate (because I could respect him outside of the context of UNC bball). Coach K is the kind of coach that you just hate (because he is an asshole)

Marshall appears to have the same abrasive personality as rat face- but so what, winners win!

 

[david watts]

In high school long ago, I dated a friend of Deans daughter. I was as insignificant as any 17 year old can be and met him twice over a couple of months at his house for 30 seconds at the most. Jump forward 30 years to 2001 and the grand opening of a golf club we are both members of. I introduced myself to Dean and he said "I remember you ------, you dated ---- ----" To say that I was stunned with his memory, would be a great understatement.

After the Wake-Ole Miss game in Oxford, I flew to Portland to meet up with some people from this golf club for a Bandon Dunes trip. At the gate, there was Dean who had spoken at a bb clinic in Seattle and was going to Bandon to play with some UNC players from the '60s. They were arriving 2 days later, so I asked him to join us for golf and dinner. Dean loves his pinot noir and it was flowing his way that night. Most of the 6 there were common, run of the mill UNC sycophants that were one stroke short of an orgasm in his presence. (Who was your favorite player? How evil is Coach K? Are you surprised at the jealousy other schools have of us? Blah, blah, blah)

Finally when someone asked him his favorite UNC game, I interrupted and said my favorite was 1981 when we beat you by 30. He corrected the final margin and remembered it like it was yesterday. How to play Guy Morgan, Jim Johnstone, etc... I asked him about the scoreboard call and even with by then a couple of bottles in him, he would not admit the obvious. He did have a wink and a smile on his face when he was in his denial though. More conversation and wine flows and we get ready to pay the bill. Each share is a couple hundred dollars, but Dean preempts the total being announced by throwing $10 onto the table and asking if that would cover his share. Of course, but you're not my coach. He goes to his rental car and can't locate it in the very small lot, so he comes back inside and asks for assistance. He was stumbling a little so I held him up and took him to his car. I should not of allowed him to drive, but he got every call, so I figured it would be fine.

The next day we play golf and though I was not in his foursome, he was complaining at the end of the round about how painful his knees were and that he was having double knee replacement in 10 days. That is when he had the anesthesia reaction and never came out of it. Very sad and he has struggled much in the last few years.

 

[marquee moon]

Cry me a river

 

[thedeacfan]

In high school long ago, I dated a friend of Deans daughter. I was as insignificant as any 17 year old can be and met him twice over a couple of months at his house for 30 seconds at the most. Jump forward 30 years to 2001 and the grand opening of a golf club we are both members of. I introduced myself to Dean and he said "I remember you ------, you dated ---- ----" To say that I was stunned with his memory, would be a great understatement.

After the Wake-Ole Miss game in Oxford, I flew to Portland to meet up with some people from this golf club for a Bandon Dunes trip. At the gate, there was Dean who had spoken at a bb clinic in Seattle and was going to Bandon to play with some UNC players from the '60s. They were arriving 2 days later, so I asked him to join us for golf and dinner. Dean loves his pinot noir and it was flowing his way that night. Most of the 6 there were common, run of the mill UNC sycophants that were one stroke short of an orgasm in his presence. (Who was your favorite player? How evil is Coach K? Are you surprised at the jealousy other schools have of us? Blah, blah, blah)

Finally when someone asked him his favorite UNC game, I interrupted and said my favorite was 1981 when we beat you by 30. He corrected the final margin and remembered it like it was yesterday. How to play Guy Morgan, Jim Johnstone, etc... I asked him about the scoreboard call and even with by then a couple of bottles in him, he would not admit the obvious. He did have a wink and a smile on his face when he was in his denial though. More conversation and wine flows and we get ready to pay the bill. Each share is a couple hundred dollars, but Dean preempts the total being announced by throwing $10 onto the table and asking if that would cover his share. Of course, but you're not my coach. He goes to his rental car and can't locate it in the very small lot, so he comes back inside and asks for assistance. He was stumbling a little so I held him up and took him to his car. I should not of allowed him to drive, but he got every call, so I figured it would be fine.

The next day we play golf and though I was not in his foursome, he was complaining at the end of the round about how painful his knees were and that he was having double knee replacement in 10 days. That is when he had the anesthesia reaction and never came out of it. Very sad and he has struggled much in the last few years.

Nice story. Thanks...

 

[smallbigtall]

In high school long ago, I dated a friend of Deans daughter. I was as insignificant as any 17 year old can be and met him twice over a couple of months at his house for 30 seconds at the most. Jump forward 30 years to 2001 and the grand opening of a golf club we are both members of. I introduced myself to Dean and he said "I remember you ------, you dated ---- ----" To say that I was stunned with his memory, would be a great understatement.

After the Wake-Ole Miss game in Oxford, I flew to Portland to meet up with some people from this golf club for a Bandon Dunes trip. At the gate, there was Dean who had spoken at a bb clinic in Seattle and was going to Bandon to play with some UNC players from the '60s. They were arriving 2 days later, so I asked him to join us for golf and dinner. Dean loves his pinot noir and it was flowing his way that night. Most of the 6 there were common, run of the mill UNC sycophants that were one stroke short of an orgasm in his presence. (Who was your favorite player? How evil is Coach K? Are you surprised at the jealousy other schools have of us? Blah, blah, blah)

Finally when someone asked him his favorite UNC game, I interrupted and said my favorite was 1981 when we beat you by 30. He corrected the final margin and remembered it like it was yesterday. How to play Guy Morgan, Jim Johnstone, etc... I asked him about the scoreboard call and even with by then a couple of bottles in him, he would not admit the obvious. He did have a wink and a smile on his face when he was in his denial though. More conversation and wine flows and we get ready to pay the bill. Each share is a couple hundred dollars, but Dean preempts the total being announced by throwing $10 onto the table and asking if that would cover his share. Of course, but you're not my coach. He goes to his rental car and can't locate it in the very small lot, so he comes back inside and asks for assistance. He was stumbling a little so I held him up and took him to his car. I should not of allowed him to drive, but he got every call, so I figured it would be fine.

The next day we play golf and though I was not in his foursome, he was complaining at the end of the round about how painful his knees were and that he was having double knee replacement in 10 days. That is when he had the anesthesia reaction and never came out of it. Very sad and he has struggled much in the last few years.

is this rj?

 

[smallbigtall]

Oh, I had already let them know how I felt, too. On July 16th, 1985, the day after Carl resigned, I sent a letter to Cook Griffin at the Deacon Club, dropping both my scholarship sponsors...and haven't donated a penny to the DC since....and never will again.

Remember folks, bkf doesn't care about Wake Forest athletics.

 

[DistrictDeacon]

In high school long ago, I dated a friend of Deans daughter. I was as insignificant as any 17 year old can be and met him twice over a couple of months at his house for 30 seconds at the most. Jump forward 30 years to 2001 and the grand opening of a golf club we are both members of. I introduced myself to Dean and he said "I remember you ------, you dated ---- ----" To say that I was stunned with his memory, would be a great understatement.

After the Wake-Ole Miss game in Oxford, I flew to Portland to meet up with some people from this golf club for a Bandon Dunes trip. At the gate, there was Dean who had spoken at a bb clinic in Seattle and was going to Bandon to play with some UNC players from the '60s. They were arriving 2 days later, so I asked him to join us for golf and dinner. Dean loves his pinot noir and it was flowing his way that night. Most of the 6 there were common, run of the mill UNC sycophants that were one stroke short of an orgasm in his presence. (Who was your favorite player? How evil is Coach K? Are you surprised at the jealousy other schools have of us? Blah, blah, blah)

Finally when someone asked him his favorite UNC game, I interrupted and said my favorite was 1981 when we beat you by 30. He corrected the final margin and remembered it like it was yesterday. How to play Guy Morgan, Jim Johnstone, etc... I asked him about the scoreboard call and even with by then a couple of bottles in him, he would not admit the obvious. He did have a wink and a smile on his face when he was in his denial though. More conversation and wine flows and we get ready to pay the bill. Each share is a couple hundred dollars, but Dean preempts the total being announced by throwing $10 onto the table and asking if that would cover his share. Of course, but you're not my coach. He goes to his rental car and can't locate it in the very small lot, so he comes back inside and asks for assistance. He was stumbling a little so I held him up and took him to his car. I should not of allowed him to drive, but he got every call, so I figured it would be fine.

The next day we play golf and though I was not in his foursome, he was complaining at the end of the round about how painful his knees were and that he was having double knee replacement in 10 days. That is when he had the anesthesia reaction and never came out of it. Very sad and he has struggled much in the last few years.

I'm so confused. Did he pay $10? Did he pay the whole bill?

 

[Strattocaster]

Why in the world would you make a statement like that....other than the fact that he coached at a hated rival? Seems to me that you are the one who is being small-minded. If you take away the hatred for Smith for being the coach at Carolina and look at Dean Smith the person, he seems to me to have lived an exemplary life. Smith was instrumental in supporting civil rights and integration in the 1960s segregated south. That took courage and fortitude in those days. No matter what you may think of UNC's basketball program, Dean Smith is a good man.

ETA: He also ran a clean program, graduated his players and emphasized the concept of teamwork, as opposed to individual achievement, on the court. Other than the fact that he coached at Carolina, I don't see what's not to like about the man.

I have chatted with Dean Smith a couple of times. He is a great man.

 

[Biff Tannen]

In high school long ago, I dated a friend of Deans daughter. I was as insignificant as any 17 year old can be and met him twice over a couple of months at his house for 30 seconds at the most. Jump forward 30 years to 2001 and the grand opening of a golf club we are both members of. I introduced myself to Dean and he said "I remember you ------, you dated ---- ----" To say that I was stunned with his memory, would be a great understatement.

After the Wake-Ole Miss game in Oxford, I flew to Portland to meet up with some people from this golf club for a Bandon Dunes trip. At the gate, there was Dean who had spoken at a bb clinic in Seattle and was going to Bandon to play with some UNC players from the '60s. They were arriving 2 days later, so I asked him to join us for golf and dinner. Dean loves his pinot noir and it was flowing his way that night. Most of the 6 there were common, run of the mill UNC sycophants that were one stroke short of an orgasm in his presence. (Who was your favorite player? How evil is Coach K? Are you surprised at the jealousy other schools have of us? Blah, blah, blah)

Finally when someone asked him his favorite UNC game, I interrupted and said my favorite was 1981 when we beat you by 30. He corrected the final margin and remembered it like it was yesterday. How to play Guy Morgan, Jim Johnstone, etc... I asked him about the scoreboard call and even with by then a couple of bottles in him, he would not admit the obvious. He did have a wink and a smile on his face when he was in his denial though. More conversation and wine flows and we get ready to pay the bill. Each share is a couple hundred dollars, but Dean preempts the total being announced by throwing $10 onto the table and asking if that would cover his share. Of course, but you're not my coach. He goes to his rental car and can't locate it in the very small lot, so he comes back inside and asks for assistance. He was stumbling a little so I held him up and took him to his car. I should not of allowed him to drive, but he got every call, so I figured it would be fine.

The next day we play golf and though I was not in his foursome, he was complaining at the end of the round about how painful his knees were and that he was having double knee replacement in 10 days. That is when he had the anesthesia reaction and never came out of it. Very sad and he has struggled much in the last few years.

Makes you wonder what the whole narrative around Dean Smith would be if he had run over a kitchen worker who was walking down the driveway and then driven into a lake on the golf course and drowned.

 

[Demon09]

How mad is lectro that he doesn't have a green username?

 

[bym051d]

How mad is lectro that he doesn't have a green username?

It should be a special color for sure.