Article: Dean Smith Was Champion Of Racial Equality; Never Had ANY NCAA Violations

[Darryl]

With a statement extolling his virtues from the resident clown of the White House, Obama:

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/sports/ncaabasketball/dean-smith-longtime-university-of-north-carolina-basketball-coach-dies-at-83.html?_r=0

Darryl

[KMSBball]

An article from Feb of 2015?

[badrose]

When Duke hired K#$%^&*() Smith got a run for his money and forced him to relax his principles to the point he had none. The ACC was no longer his domain. The new, and corrupt Carolina Way was born.

[Doc]

But unlike many, he ran a program that was never accused of N.C.A.A. violations, and about 97 percent of his players graduated.

chuckle, chuckle. When you have players taking bogus classes in a bogus major, its not hard to graduate 97%. My question is what happened with the other 3%?

[JPScott]

While a lot of people have praised Dean Smith for being a racial pioneer, even claiming he was active in the Civil Right movement, I've found it interesting that after numerous times doing searches of the literature, I have yet to find any public quotation from Smith in favor of integration during the 1960's. (As compared to Adolph Rupp where I can find numerous examples from the same time period.)

That's not to say that Smith wasn't in favor of integration or that he didn't do anything (he did sign Charlie Scott), just that a lot of the honors he's received over the years seems overblown.

Another example, Smith is often given credit for 'convincing' his coach to integrate his high school team in Topeka. Prior to that the school had an all-white varsity team and another all-black team called the Ramblers (complete with their own all-black cheerleaders). How much of an effect Smith had on the decision, I don't know, but what's often glossed over is that the immediate result of 'integration' didn't exactly work out well.

In Smith's senior year, the varsity team was still all-white. (There were a few black players on the JV team.) The only result of the move was to completely eliminate the Ramblers.

Again, seems Smith gets far more credit than he actually deserves when it comes to this issue.

[Krank]

While a lot of people have praised Dean Smith for being a racial pioneer, even claiming he was active in the Civil Right movement, I've found it interesting that after numerous times doing searches of the literature, I have yet to find any public quotation from Smith in favor of integration during the 1960's. (As compared to Adolph Rupp where I can find numerous examples from the same time period.)

That's not to say that Smith wasn't in favor of integration or that he didn't do anything (he did sign Charlie Scott), just that a lot of the honors he's received over the years seems overblown.

Another example, Smith is often given credit for 'convincing' his coach to integrate his high school team in Topeka. Prior to that the school had an all-white varsity team and another all-black team called the Ramblers (complete with their own all-black cheerleaders). How much of an effect Smith had on the decision, I don't know, but what's often glossed over is that the immediate result of 'integration' didn't exactly work out well.

In Smith's senior year, the varsity team was still all-white. (There were a few black players on the JV team.) The only result of the move was to completely eliminate the Ramblers.

Again, seems Smith gets far more credit than he actually deserves when it comes to this issue.

Thanks for the info and especially thank you for not spouting a needless political "opinion".

[TNCat]

If you repeat the same narrative over and over again, people will believe it. It often doesn't matter what the facts are.

I don't think Smith is a bad person but he wasn't the choir boy that the media makes him out to be. No coach is completely clean. That said, the fake classes started under his watch and he has culpability for them.

IF UNC is assessed any penalties, I fully expect that UNC will protect Smith at all costs. In my opinion, they will throw Roy under the bus so as not to tarnish the image of Smith. By the way, that is a really big IF.

[Krank]

If you repeat the same narrative over and over again, people will believe it. It often doesn't matter what the facts are.

I don't think Smith is a bad person but he wasn't the choir boy that the media makes him out to be. No coach is completely clean. That said, the fake classes started under his watch and he has culpability for them.

IF UNC is assessed any penalties, I fully expect that UNC will protect Smith at all costs. In my opinion, they will throw Roy under the bus so as not to tarnish the image of Smith. By the way, that is a really big IF.

Isn't there some sort of statute of limitations type of thing that already keeps Smith completely out of this?

Not sure, but I thought I recalled something like that being his legacy-protector, at least officially.

[JPScott]

Thanks for the info and especially thank you for not spouting a needless political "opinion".

Not exactly sure what you mean by that, but OK.

[Krank]

Not exactly sure what you mean by that, but OK.

Was not meant to imply that you normally do, just that such is the norm too often here IMO and, of course, is present in this thread.

It's cool.

Nobody cares.

[Darrell KSR]

Moved to the Barber Shop. Didn't realize there was a political component inherent in it.

[jazyd]

chuckle, chuckle. When you have players taking bogus classes in a bogus major, its not hard to graduate 97%. My question is what happened with the other 3%?

I could ha easily gotten a Dr degree at UNC