Great Dean Smith Article

[David]

This ESPN story about Coach Smith is very well-written and very sad:

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10545949/precious-memories-dean-smith-story

As a young Duke fan in the 1970s, I couldn't stand Dean Smith. He drove me crazy. Over the years, my opinion of him has greatly mellowed and I have grown to miss him on the sidelines and in the rivalry. I actually think a number of non-Duke fans will feel similarly about Coach K someday.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

This ESPN story about Coach Smith is very well-written and very sad:

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10545949/precious-memories-dean-smith-story

As a young Duke fan in the 1970s, I couldn't stand Dean Smith. He drove me crazy. Over the years, my opinion of him has greatly mellowed and I have grown to miss him on the sidelines and in the rivalry. I actually think a number of non-Duke fans will feel similarly about Coach K someday.

If that doesn't make you misty-eyed, you aren't human.

Great piece, so sad to such a dignified man have to deal with such a difficult disease.

[Atlanta Duke]

Thank you for posting the story on Coach Smith. A great but tough read for anyone who remembers Coach Smith or has witnessed a loved one decline as Coach Smith has.

[alteran]

This ESPN story about Coach Smith is very well-written and very sad:

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10545949/precious-memories-dean-smith-story

As a young Duke fan in the 1970s, I couldn't stand Dean Smith. He drove me crazy. Over the years, my opinion of him has greatly mellowed and I have grown to miss him on the sidelines and in the rivalry. I actually think a number of non-Duke fans will feel similarly about Coach K someday.

Tough, heart-breaking read.

[Turk]

That piece was both tender and horrifying at the same time. It's also a harsh reminder that tomorrow is not promised to anyone, and we do not get to choose how we exit this world. I enjoyed disliking Coach Smith for his whining sanctimonious sideline behavior, and also mellowed out toward him as he became an icon of a simpler time and an active touchstone for his former players, like Coach Wooden was for decades. Coach Smith earned that much, and it has been taken away from him. At least Jim Valvano's battle with cancer allowed him to create a legacy that is greater than anything he did on the sidelines of a basketball court. Unlike Valvano, Alzheimer's has taken Smith's mind but left his body behind, and we can only guess about his heart and soul. What a terrible disease.