For UNC students and fans, Thursday was a ‘pretty upsetting’ day to be a Tar Heel
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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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It was the opposite of a good day to be a Tar Heel on Thursday for Ashley Mills, a UNC-Chapel Hill alumna and self-proclaimed #1 Carolina basketball fan.
“No thoughts just pain,” Mills tweeted following the news of men’s basketball Coach Roy Williams’ retirement.
She said she first saw the news on Twitter and “couldn’t believe it was actually happening.”
Mills, who graduated last May, was part of the band at UNC and said she went to every single men’s basketball game for four years. She said it’s sad that if she goes to another game it won’t be Williams out on the floor coaching or throwing T-shirts into the stands.
“I don’t even think it’s set in yet,” Mills said. “He’s been a fixture at Carolina basketball forever.”
While social media was buzzing, campus sat largely empty Thursday, slowed by the Easter holiday and ongoing pandemic.
But around Franklin Street, students in Carolina blue sweatshirts mourned what they saw as an inevitable ending.
“I’m sad, but definitely not surprised,” said Henley Younts, a freshman at UNC. “The way the last two seasons have gone and so many going into the transfer portal. I think maybe they weren’t able to play how they wanted.”
“It’s the best time to leave,” said freshman Abby Holt, “when you beat Duke twice.”
A ‘travesty’ for Carolina fans
Ken Howell, retired Army, Class of ‘82, came down Franklin Street on Thursday as a seriously downhearted Heels fan.
“I think, quite frankly, it’s a travesty,” he moaned, voice loud enough to reach Top of the Hill across the street.
“I think he should have stayed another 10 years,” Howell said. “I want to put up a banner that says, ‘Don’t do it, Roy!’”
Howell experienced Dean Smith’s last day in 1997. He said if Williams stayed another 10 years, “he might match his boss.”
UNC senior Reeves Moseley said his phone was blowing up with texts from friends and Tar Heel fans asking whether it was an April Fool’s joke. They thought he might have some insider information as student body president to verify the news or put their worries to rest.
But while he wished it wasn’t true, Moseley got the official email from Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz to the UNC-CH Board of Trustees confirming William’s retirement.
“It’s pretty upsetting,” Moseley said. “I honestly don’t know where we go from here … with getting a new coach. It’s UNC, it’s a legacy, dynasty basketball team.”
Williams was like a celebrity
Williams has been a trademark of UNC for most of Moseley’s life. He wasn’t Tar Heel born, he said, but was Tar Heel bred.
Growing up in Texas, Moseley was surrounded by Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies fans. He loved UNC basketball and was never ashamed to wear his Carolina blue gear. He knew in middle school that he would go to UNC and hoped he’d have the chance to meet Roy Williams.
That moment came outside the Dean Smith Center before the Carolina vs. Duke game in 2019, when both teams were ranked in the top five. Williams walked around to meet fans and chatted with Moseley and his friends, a moment that felt surreal and genuine.
Williams also took the time to talk with Moseley and his family at a restaurant in Charleston one Easter weekend. They got his attention after spotting him across the room eating with his own family.
“It was like seeing a celebrity even though he’s just a coach at your school,” Moseley said.
“He just really loves UNC, and you can tell that it’s genuine excitement and care for the fans and the Carolina family.”
A lasting legacy for students
Inside the Four Corners bar on Thursday afternoon, only three patrons sat at the bar watching Williams’ news conference from campus. They hung to their Bud Lites with one hand and punched the air with the other, emphasizing each of the coach’s lines.
When Williams speculated on his next job, they offered suggestions:
“AD!”
“Governor!”
“President!”
“I’ve been a Carolina fan basically since I was a fetus,” said Cheyenne Brown, a senior and Four Corners server. “It’s heartbreaking, and what a day to do it. It’s April Fool, but I know Roy wouldn’t joke about this.”
Guskiewicz shared his appreciation for Williams on Twitter.
“Thank you Coach Roy Williams for leading @UNC_basketball with such passion, honor and integrity and for your support of scholarships for student-athletes, Carolina Covenant Scholars and #UNC Chancellor’s Science Scholars,” Guskiewicz tweeted. “You will inspire us and lead today and beyond.”
Williams and his wife, Wanda, recently donated $3 million to support student scholarships, including low-income students and future basketball players.
Moseley said that gift shows Williams’ true character. It epitomizes the way he cares about students more than having his name on a building or the basketball court, he said.
“It’s going to take a while for all of us to process this,” Moseley said. “I feel like Roy will always be an integral part of the Carolina family.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 3:11 PM with the headline "For UNC students and fans, Thursday was a ‘pretty upsetting’ day to be a Tar Heel."
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