Dean Smith to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dean Smith will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Barack Obama announced Thursday.

“This is an extraordinary honor,” said Smith’s family in a statement. “We were touched by those who asked for the recognition and by the President’s decision to give an award to Dean for his work both on and off the court.”

Smith, 82, is one of 16 people receiving the award, including former president Bill Clinton, Oprah and Sally Ride. Smith is the third college basketball coach to earn the honor, following Pat Summitt and John Wooden.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours,” Obama said in a statement. “This year’s honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world. It will be my honor to present them with a token of our nation’s gratitude.”

According to the White House, the award, the highest civilian honor in peacetime, is “presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

“We know he would be humbled to be in the company of President Clinton, United States senators, scientists, entertainers, the great Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and the other distinguished Americans who are receiving the award,” Smith’s family said.

Smith, coach of the men’s basketball team from 1961-97, won two national titles and at the time of his retirement, was the winningest coach in college basketball with 879 victories.

He also earned National Coach of the Year multiple times during his tenure.

A dedicated civil rights activist, Smith awarded Charlie Scott the first athletic scholarship to an African-American in UNC’s history.

“Coach Smith set a standard of excellence on and off the court by which coaches and athletic departments have modeled themselves for decades,” said Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a rich reward for someone who put teaching young people the game of life as important as the sport of basketball.

Smith cared about his players on and off the court, and 96 percent of his players graduated from college. During his 36 seasons as head coach, more than 95 percent of UNC basketball lettermen earned their degree. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1983 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.

“Everyone who loves college and ACC basketball and the University of North Carolina is indebted to him,” said Roy Williams, current men’s basketball coach and former assistant to Smith said. “But more than basketball, it was his social conscience that has left even greater marks on our society and will be paying dividends for generations.”

Smith and the other recipients will be honored in a ceremony at the White House later this year.

The full list of 2013 recipients:

Ernie “Mr. Cub” Banks, Ben Bradlee, Bill Clinton, Daniel Inouye (posthumously), Daniel Kahneman, Richard Lugar, Loretta Lynn, Mario Molina, Sally Ride (posthumously), Bayard Rustin (posthumously), Arturo Sandoval, Dean Smith, Gloria Steinem, C.T. Vivian, Patricia Wald, and Oprah Winfrey.