OT: Dean Smith Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom | The Boneyard

OT: Dean Smith Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

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UConnCat

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Former North Carolina coach Dean Smith was one of 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House today. Coach Smith was unable to attend the ceremony (he reportedly suffers from advanced alzheimer's) so his wife, Dr. Linnea Smith, accepted the award on his behalf.

I became a fan of North Carolina basketball in the 1960s when my uncle was a law student there and would talk to me about the way they played basketball, and particularly about a young player named Charlie Scott, the first African-American scholarship athlete at UNC. I became hooked and it was made easier by the fact that ACC basketball games were regularly broadcast in NYC because of the pipeline of NYC talent to tobacco road. It was later that I learned about the strong bond between Coach Smith and his players and his tireless work on behalf of civil rights.

I loved Carolina basketball because of its emphasis on passing and teamwork. It's not a coincidence that I would eventually become a fan of UConn women's basketball.

Congratulations to Coach Smith.
 
I knew his condition was not great at this point, but I didn't realize it had advance to the point where he would not be able to personlly attend even a ceremony such as this. A sad footnote to a very high honor(the highest) for a true coaching legend, and by all accounts a great man.
 
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I was happy that Loretta Lynn also received one.
 
Please be gentle this is very hard triaduke.
 
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