What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dean's List: A Celebration of Tar Heel Basketball and Dean Smith
In 1961 a thirty-year-old, soft-spoken coach took over a basketball program that had been rocked by accusations and internal concerns regarding recruiting violations and the image of the team. Today that coach has won nearly 80 percent of his games, finished first in the Atlantic Coast Conference 17 times, won 12 ACC Tournament titles, one Olympic gold medal, an NIT trophy, and two NCAA championships. Among the athletes he has put on the court are players named Jordan, Stackhouse, Worthy, Perkins, and Wallace - no fewer than 24 NBA first-round draft choices. And the Dean Smith story - a story of competition, compassion, and basketball genius - is a saga unfolding a legend of American sports.
This beautiful volume, illustrated with full-color photographs, is a basketball odyssey of three decades, from Dean Edwards Smith's first coaching job at the Air Force Academy (with the golf team) to his most recent and 22nd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In between are lean years and great years, bitter defeats, stunning victories, and vintage Carolina comebacks as Smith took over the badly shaken Tar Heel program from the legendary Frank McGuire.
The Dean's List will conjure up vivid memories for college hoop fans - such moments as the Tar Heels' injury-riddled run to the 1977 national title game and heartbreaking loss to Marquette, the fervent battles with archrival Duke, and the incredible NCAA championship victories over Georgetown in 1982 and Michigan in 1993. And here too are the contests waged outside the public eye - recruiting struggles for such players as Tom McMillen, David Thompson, and Phil Ford, as well as the racially charged controversy that surrounded North Carolina's first black scholarship athlete, Charlie Scott. Away from the court, we see the tough and tender personal qualities that have allowed Dean Smith to run a program beyond reproach and graduate 97 percent of his players.
This beautiful volume, illustrated with full-color photographs, is a basketball odyssey of three decades, from Dean Edwards Smith's first coaching job at the Air Force Academy (with the golf team) to his most recent and 22nd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In between are lean years and great years, bitter defeats, stunning victories, and vintage Carolina comebacks as Smith took over the badly shaken Tar Heel program from the legendary Frank McGuire.
The Dean's List will conjure up vivid memories for college hoop fans - such moments as the Tar Heels' injury-riddled run to the 1977 national title game and heartbreaking loss to Marquette, the fervent battles with archrival Duke, and the incredible NCAA championship victories over Georgetown in 1982 and Michigan in 1993. And here too are the contests waged outside the public eye - recruiting struggles for such players as Tom McMillen, David Thompson, and Phil Ford, as well as the racially charged controversy that surrounded North Carolina's first black scholarship athlete, Charlie Scott. Away from the court, we see the tough and tender personal qualities that have allowed Dean Smith to run a program beyond reproach and graduate 97 percent of his players.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
151 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1997
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 18, 2011
The book "Dean's List" by Art Chansky was a very good book, definately one of the best that I have ever read. I haven't read very many books in my lifetime but I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sports or good stories. The book covered very many parts of Dean's life from the way he recruited the first blacks to a major university and his recruitment of the great Michael Jordan. What struck me worst about the book was the segregation of basketball in America. Especially in the South. The biggest lesson I have learned from this book is that basketball is not a sport for just white people. When black people entered the sport, it made it much more exciting and fair so everyone can do it. Dean Smith is most definately one of the best basketball coaches to ever coach on college. Dean won two NCAA Championships in college and coached the likes of Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player to ever play the game, Jerry Stackhouse, Antwaun Jamison, Vince Carter, James Worthy, and Sam Perkins. The University of North Carolina named their home court the Dean E. Smith Center after him. If you are a fan of sports or North Carolina basketball, I would recommend this book to you.
July 8, 2023
The Dean’s List: A Celebration of Tar Heel Basketball and Dean Smith by Art Chansky (Warner Books 1997) (796.323092) (3828).
This is a wonderful celebration of the nation’s premier NCAA basketball program: The University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The Heels were led for many years by the legendary hall of fame coach Dean Edwards Smith. He was widely acknowledged as the greatest coaching teacher, innovator, tactician, and role model who ever graced the hardwood. (Sorry, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, UCLA, Connecticut, and (oh yeah) Duke.)
My sole regret is that the book was published in 1997, so Coach Smith led several additional outstanding Carolina teams (including another national champion) before his retirement which were not able to be included in this volume.
As they say in Chapel Hill, “Rah Rah Carolina-lina GO TAR HEELS!”
I’m proud to say that I have a HB copy in perfect shape in my personal library.
My rating: 7.5/10, finished 7/8/23 (3828).
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews