A lot of us know about Dean Smiths career at UNC: Two national championships; 879 wins; 11 Final Four appearances. No wonder hes in the Basketball Hall of Fame, right? But did you know he won a Presidential Medal of Freedom? The excerpt below lists some of the reasons why. Really nice story, Tommy Tomlinson. LAST YEAR, AFTER A FAN nominated Dean for the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nations highest civilian honor -- UNC officials lobbied Washington to make sure he got it. The president can award the medal to people who, among other things, have made especially meritorious contributions ... to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Dean had a case beyond the wins and the titles. Ninety-six percent of his lettermen graduated. Dean was active in politics -- he fought for a nuclear freeze and against the death penalty. And he nudged his part of the world forward when it came to race. In the late 50s, Dean and Bob Seymour -- his pastor at Binkley Baptist Church -- took a black theology student to Chapel Hills finest restaurant, a segregated place called The Pines. Dean was just an assistant coach then, but the managers knew him -- the Tar Heels ate team meals there. None of the staff said a word. The three men sat down and ate dinner. Dean also recruited Charles Scott. Among UNC players, Jordan is the best and Phil Ford is the most beloved, but Scott is the most important. He came to campus in 1966 as UNCs first black scholarship athlete. He became the ACCs first black star. The maddest anybody remembers seeing Dean was a night at South Carolina when a fan called Scott a black baboon. Dean headed into the stands before a coach pulled him back. All the way through college, and all the way through Scotts 10-year pro basketball career, fans and writers called him Charlie. He always preferred Charles. Dean called him Charles. He is basically the cornerstone of how I measure myself, Scott says. To give you a story about what he has done is to give you the outline of my life. These days Scott lives in Columbus, Ohio, where his son Shannon is a junior guard for Ohio State. His sons full name is Shannon Dean Scott.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 03:35:58 +0000
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