Carolina’s Basketball Family

Posted on July 7, 2017

There has been a kind of glow in Chapel Hill over these recent weeks. From spring into summer, a glimmer has illuminated every kind of public comment, from the chancellor addressing alumni and friends of the University at various venues to the congratulations extended by one notable alumna to thousands of Carolina’s newest alumni at Commencement: We’re No. 1.

The stress is on the “1.” But the power is in that pronoun. We know who we are. We know there have been 60 years of remarkable stories, stretching from 1957 when our Carolina men’s basketball team secured its first NCAA national championship to this April 3, when the Heels captured championship No. 6 over Gonzaga.

We watched, listened, cheered and roared. And we remembered. Among the throng at University of Phoenix Stadium were nearly 50 former players and managers, key members of a “Carolina basketball family” that is much envied, both for the stories this family can tell as well as how it tells them.

I recently witnessed that family camaraderie when GAA Chair Jim Delany ’70 and his wife, Kitty, hosted a reunion near their cabin on the banks of the Haw River for players in the classes from ’67 to ’77. Dozens of alumni shared stories about particular games and specific plays. They exchanged updates about their health, their families, their work and about other players who were unable to be there.

Carolina basketball did not just make them teammates; in many cases, it created lifelong friends, as evidenced by the evening’s handshakes, hugs and laughter.

Generations of alumni and fans have identified with many of the players and coaches who prompted the joy that has come with each championship, myself included. During my junior year in high school at what was then Fayetteville Senior High School — now Terry Sanford High School — Rusty Clark ’69 led our team to the state 4A championship played in the old Greensboro Coliseum. And a year later, without Rusty, our Bulldogs repeated as state champions.

My freshman year at Carolina also was the first year in Chapel Hill for Charles Scott ’70. Freshmen could not be on the varsity team, with the result that Carmichael Auditorium was packed for the freshman games — we all wanted to witness Scott’s remarkable play. We remained for the varsity games, of course, and were rewarded as Dean Smith coached three consecutive teams to the Final Four in an era when only each year’s ACC tournament champion was eligible to compete in the NCAA tournament.

Just as Carolina alumni enjoy bragging rights over fans of other teams, they welcome the opportunities to reconnect with Carolina friends long affected by our men’s basketball teams. Fans text and email each other throughout a game. Thousands of fans watched April’s title game in the Smith Center, many more met on Franklin Street afterward, and thousands welcomed the team home the following evening.

For players and fans alike, Carolina men’s basketball has long brought joy — and it has brought wisdom. Fans have learned the same life lessons that Coach Smith, Coach Bill Guthridge and more recently Coach Roy Williams ’72 have imparted to Carolina’s teams, most often through the thought of the day: “If you’re not early, you’re late.” “The name on the front of the uniform is more important than the name on the back.” “Play hard, play smart and play together.” “Invest.” “Enjoy the journey.”

One fan, long touched by those life lessons, shared a message of gratitude with Coach Williams the morning of the championship game:

“Dad [80 and a longtime former UNC art professor] has been in very rough shape for the last 2 weeks. On Tuesday, he told me that he had lost his fear and was finally ready to die, but he wanted to watch (hear, really) one last Tar Heel Final Four performance with me and his grandchildren. He promised to hang in there. And it has been difficult, but he made it.

So I cannot thank you and the team enough for this gift, the gift a few more days with Dad, and one last chance for us to watch you pour your hearts and souls into the quest to add to the excellence and the beauty of the Carolina Basketball Tradition that has meant so much to so many and could hardly mean more to my family right now.”

Carolina basketball has excelled for so many years, but the value of the program extends beyond the wins, regardless of their number. What truly matters is the pride it kindles in its players and fans. The victories — and even the defeats — have brought us closer to Carolina and to each other.

We are each forever members of Carolina’s basketball family.

Yours at Carolina,

Douglas S. Dibbert ’70

doug_dibbert@unc.edu