51+ Dean Smith Quotes On Education, Government And Michael Jordan

Dean Smith was an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1961 to 1997. He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, leading his teams to two NCAA championships and 11 Final Fours. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Dean Smith on leadership, education, love.

Top 10 Dean Smith Quotes

1. You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.
2. What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.
3. Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.
4. If you make every game a life and death proposition, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot.
5. A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment.
6. Good people are happy when something good happens to someone else.
7. A lion never roars after a kill.
8. Basketball is a team game. But that doesn't mean all five players should have the same amount of shots.
9. Michael, if you can't pass, you can't play.
10. One player's selfish attitude can poison a locker room and make it hard, if not impossible, to establish team work

Dean Smith Image Quotes

What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. — Dean Smith

Dean Smith Short Quotes

• I only use statistics to reinforce what I already think, or if it's something unusual.
• Over coaching is the worst thing you can do to a player.
• There is a point in every contest when sitting on the sidelines is not an option.
• I've always believed in quickness over strength and size.
• As soon as you try to describe a close friendship, it loses something.
• The most important thing is team morale.
• Praise behaviour that you want repeated
• Motor cut. Forced landing. Hit cow. Cow died. Scared me.
• I know a lawyer who'd love to retire and be an assistant coach. I mean, it's fun.
• The best way to build team chemistry is the way Rupp used to substitute, when they fouled out.

Dean Smith Quotes About Leadership

I always mean what I say, but I don't always say what I'm thinking. — Dean Smith

You can't teach court savvy — Dean Smith

The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring. — Dean Smith

Dean Smith Quotes About Life

Given the fact that we are in a capitalist society, we still do not want to overlook not only what a corporation produces and its profitability but also how it impacts the environment, touches human life and whether it protects or undermines the dignity of the human person. — Dean Smith

The flash of rain, the shining rainbow riding completely around the plane, the lift over mountain ridges, the steady, pure air at dawn take-offs. ... It was so alive and rich a life that any other conceivable choice seemed dull, prosaic, and humdrum. — Dean Smith

If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times. — Dean Smith

Dean Smith Famous Quotes And Sayings

What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. — Dean Smith

I would never recruit a player who yells at his teammates, disrespected his high school coach, or scores 33 points a game and his team goes 10-10. — Dean Smith

The best way to stop the problem of agents would be for the NCAA to come down hard and suspend a school for two years if it finds players with agents on campus. — Dean Smith

Basketball, more than any other sport, is a team game...about the thousands of small, unselfish acts, the sacrifices on the part of the players that result in team building. — Dean Smith

Any old coach will say the game was meant for finesse. It's a beautiful game, especially on television. — Dean Smith

Our teachers at the public school level are the most underpaid for the importance of their job in America. — Dean Smith

You should sub a player out when you see a player not going full-speed or playing selfish basketball. — Dean Smith

The focus should be on the players. I'm here a long time. You can call me in the summer. Our seniors will be gone. — Dean Smith

The presidents of colleges have to have some courage to step forward. You can't limit alcohol in college sports, you have to get rid of it. — Dean Smith

I'd never get elected if people in North Carolina realized how liberal I am. — Dean Smith

Always have your players go and pick-up the guy who draws the charge. — Dean Smith

I think the real free person in society is one that's disciplined. It's the one that can choose; that is the free one. — Dean Smith

I enjoy basketball. I enjoy coaching basketball. It's the out-of-season stuff I didn't handle well. — Dean Smith

I do believe in praising that which deserves to be praised. — Dean Smith

Everyone on the bench stands for the man coming out of the game. — Dean Smith

There is a lot of basketball beyond our control, but a player should never let anyone try harder than he does — Dean Smith

The key statistic is still to get to the foul line. — Dean Smith

The real issue is not if a crossing is put in, but when. It would be negligent on the part of Union Pacific and the California Public Utilities Commission to not address the problem. — Dean Smith

The truly free person in society is a disciplined person. — Dean Smith

The death penalty makes us all murderers. — Dean Smith

Only praise behavior that you want to be repeated. Never use false praise. — Dean Smith

You should just do the right thing. — Dean Smith

The coach's job is to be part servant in helping each player reach his goals within the team concept. — Dean Smith

I just think we shouldn't get into counting coaches' records. I've never been for that but I know that's just American society. — Dean Smith

I'd like to see the high schools put in a rule that limits recruitable athletes from playing on teams outside a 100-mile radius from their home or school. — Dean Smith

I wasn't as critical during games as I was at practice. Players needed confidence during games more than criticism. — Dean Smith

Life Lessons by Dean Smith

1. Dean Smith taught the importance of hard work, dedication, and humility. He worked tirelessly to build a successful basketball program and was always humble in victory and gracious in defeat.
2. He also emphasized the importance of team work and camaraderie, believing that a team was only as strong as its weakest link.
3. Lastly, Dean Smith taught the importance of treating others with respect and kindness, regardless of their background or beliefs. He was a champion of civil rights and equality.