With legendary Head Coach Roy Williams turning 73 today, we thought we’d share a few other Roy-related dates that should forever live in infamy.
Welcome Home
On April 14, 2003, Roy Williams returned to Chapel Hill. For 36 years, The University of North Carolina was the poster of consistency under Dean Smith. Smith led the Tar Heels to 17 ACC regular season titles, 13 ACC Championship titles, 11 Final Fours, and two National Championships.
And then, in a flash, he was gone. After a return to the Final Four in 1998 (with Smith’s players), North Carolina (relatively) struggled. Yes, they had a surprise Final Four run in 2000, but the surrounding years were filled with turmoil and disappointment, capped off by back-to-back seasons missing the NCAA Tournament under Matt Doherty.
Williams’ decision to come to Chapel Hill was not only a return home for him, but it marked a return to the consistency Tar Heel fans had grown accustomed to. In 18 seasons as Head Coach, Williams guided the Tar Heels to 9 ACC regular season titles, three ACC Championship titles, six Final Fours, and three National Championships.
Absolute Dominance.
“There’s a New Dean in College Basketball”
It’s easy to forget, but Williams was once known as the Head Coach who could not win the big one. Before 2005, Williams would be commonly placed in conversations with Jerry Sloan, George Karl, and Rick Adelman, as basketball coaches yet to win a championship. At Kansas, he came close twice, once in 1991 and again in his final season in 2003, both times falling just short.
On April 4, 2005, that all changed.
North Carolina entered St. Louis Missouri in a highly anticipated matchup against Illinois. Both teams were number one overall seeds and extremely highly regarded. North Carolina, led by juniors Sean May, Rashad McCants, and Raymond Felton, were playing for more than just themselves. They were playing for their Head Coach.
The two teams battled back and forth, with North Carolina leading by as much as 15 points, but Illinois, buoyed by a flurry of Luther Head threes (created by an abundance of moving screens), would ultimately tie the game at 70 with under three minutes to play. After a Marvin Williams tip-in and a Felton free throw, Illinois had one last chance which saw Head get one more 3-pointer that just hit the back rim (that shot still haunts me). North Carolina hung on for the win and Williams got his first championship.
Two Titles is Better Than One
It’s always better the second time, right?
After three seasons of disappointment, which saw the Tar Heels inch closer to a Championship each season, the Tar Heels returned to glory on April 6, 2009, in Detroit Michigan.
Led by seniors Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green, and the class of 2006 (Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington), the Tar Heels put forth one of the most dominant performances in NCAA Tournament history. Finishing it off in style with a 17-point win over Michigan State, the 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels remain the only team in the history of the sport to win every Tournament game by double digits.
900
On February 27, 2021, Williams joined the 900 Club. With a win over the Florida State Seminoles, Williams became one of just 14 coaches in the history of NCAA Basketball to win over 900 games.
Thanks For the Memories
Similar to his predecessor, Williams was gone in a flash, without warning.
On April 1, 2021, Williams announced his intention to retire. There are various rumors about why he left, but what we know for sure is that he handed the job over to (then) Assistant Coach Hubert Davis. Davis turned around and guided the Tar Heels to the National Championship game in his first season, and is now looking to establish the type of consistency Williams made familiar at North Carolina.
Williams is one of the greatest coaches to ever grace the sport of College Basketball, and, by all accounts, a wonderful human being. As I’ve written before, I believe Williams saved North Carolina basketball, and that’s reflected by how Tar Heel fans around the world are grateful he chose to return home and return the program to its rightful place at the top of the sport.
Thank you, Coach Williams, we wish you a wonderful birthday.
