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Dean Smith

Legendary former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith (1931-2015) gives his name to the Dean E. Smith Center, home of the Tar Heel men’s basketball team. Smith coached UNC’s basketball team for 36 years, winning 2 NCAA championships, and directing numbers of legendary players. Smith desegregated the team in 1966 with the recruitment of Charlie Scott, and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his efforts for racial equality. The Smith Center was completed in 1986 to meet the need for a larger arena, but amidst controversy over such a large athletics project.