They say giving is better than receiving.
Former University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith made sure this was the case, even after he was no longer with us.
Tim Breedlove, the Charlotte-based trustee of the trust that bears the late coach's name, said on Thursday that letters containing $200 checks were sent earlier this week to the players who lettered for Smith's Tar Heel teams during his 36-year career at UNC — that’s about 180 players in all, according to the Associated Press.
"This was the kind of man that he was," Breedlove told ESPN.com. "It's one more example of his thoughtfulness."
"We never expected anything like this," Jeb Barlow told ESPN. Barlow lettered at UNC from 1980-1982. "But it doesn't surprise me that this was done."
In total, Dean Smith gifted $36,000 by giving each one of his 180 former lettered players $200.
The letter to Smith's former players states:
“Each player was important and special to Coach Smith and when he prepared his estate plan, Coach wanted to reach out to each of his letterman. Accordingly, Coach directed that following his passing, each letterman be sent a two hundred-dollar ($200.00) check with the message ‘enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean Smith.’”
Smith passed away Feb. 7 at the age of 83. The Hall-of-Fame coach led UNC to two national titles during his tenure (1982, 1993) and led the U.S. men’s basketball team to a Gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics. Smith retired in 1997 as the winningest coach in Division I history with 897 career victories.
Smith’s generosity has moved his former players. ESPN’s Darren Rovell spoke to former UNC center Serge Zwikker and said Zwikker told him he teared up when he opened the letter and will never cash the check.
“Even after he passed, he was still all about his players," Zwikker said.
On Thursday, ESPN analyst and former UNC center Brad Daugherty said on “SportsCenter” he was stunned when he received the letter. Daugherty said he will get the letter and check framed.
Dean Smith loved his players, and his posthumous generosity is just another example of why the former Tar Heel coach was one of the best coaches — but more importantly — one of the classiest men in the history of college hoops.
Xoel CÀrdenas, MA, is a writer with Deseret News: Sports. Xoel is also a columnist at SB Nation, the largest sports blog site in the country, where he covers FC Barcelona. Follow him on Twitter @XoelCardenas.