‘You made me a better man:’ Fans and players thank retiring UNC coach Roy Williams
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The end of an era: Roy Williams announces retirement
Read more coverage about Roy Williams’ retirement as coach of the UNC men’s basketball team.
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University of North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is retiring after 33 years — and social media users were quick to react the news Thursday.
Williams coached the Tar Heels for 18 seasons, winning three national championships during his time in Chapel Hill.
Speculation of Williams’ retirement started circulating in March when he kissed the court after North Carolina’s senior night win over Duke.
Reaction was quick to pour in from the college basketball world after the news broke:
Williams coached in nine Final Fours during his time at UNC and Kansas and ends his career as a college head coach with a 903-264 record, which places him among three of the winning coaches of all time, behind Mike Krzyzewski (1,170 at Duke) and Jim Boeheim (1,083 at Syracuse).
Williams previously served as an assistant coach under the late Dean Smith before leaving for Kansas. He returned to UNC in 2003, winning his first national championship with the team two years later.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, and in 2018, UNC named the court in the Smith Center after him.
The last two seasons have been tough for Williams and the Tar Heels. In the 2019-2020 season, Williams had his first losing season, finishing 14-19. And this season was challenging amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 11:07 AM with the headline "‘You made me a better man:’ Fans and players thank retiring UNC coach Roy Williams."
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