College Coaching Legend Dean Smith Dies

Tributes After Coach Dean Smith Dies

(Chapel Hill, NC) -- The basketball community is mourning the death of college coaching legend Dean Smith. Officials with the University of North Carolina say Smith died at age 83 Saturday night while he was surrounded by his wife and five children.

Smith recruited and coached Michael Jordan to a 1982 National Championship, and today Jordan released a statement calling Smith "my mentor, my teacher and my second father." On Twitter, Kobe Bryant called Smith "one of the greatest teachers our beautiful game of basketball has ever seen."

Dean Smith coached the Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997, won two National Championships, made it to 11 Final Fours and was the winningest coach in college basketball history. In 2007, Smith starting showing signs of dementia.