Former North Carolina men’s basketball coach Bill Guthridge died on Tuesday night, UNC confirmed on Wednesday. He was 77. Inside Carolina first reported the story.
Guthridge joined the North Carolina coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 1967-68 season and became the Tar Heels’ head coach in 1997. Guthridge remained at the helm of the program for three seasons before retiring.
Guthridge’s death comes nearly three months after the death of Dean Smith, who Guthridge coached under for 30 seasons at UNC before taking over as head coach upon Smith’s retirement.
“Bill Guthridge was a gentlemen coach, but a fierce competitor, and an incredibly loyal member of Dean Smith’s staff for three decades,” said UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham in a statement. “When it was his turn as head coach, he immediately won an ACC championship and took two teams to the Final Four.
“I learned very quickly when I came to Chapel Hill how beloved and respected he was by people all across this community. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.”
In his three seasons as a head coach, Guthridge led the Tar Heels to Final Four appearances in 1998 and 2000 and was the National Coach of the Year in 1998.
Guthridge won more games in two seasons than any college head coach in history and tied former N.C. State head coach Everett Case for most coaching wins after three seasons. Guthridge’s record as a head coach at UNC was 80-28.
Guthridge played or coached in 14 Final Fours, which is more than any person in NCAA history. Two of those appearances came as a head coach at UNC. Ten came as a Tar Heel assistant and one each as a player and assistant coach at Kansas State.
