The North Carolina Department of Transportation formally approved today a request by Carolina Athletics to honorarily name stretches of U.S. Interstate 40 in Chapel Hill for former Tar Heel men’s basketball coaches Dean Smith and Roy Williams.
The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a resolution to support the request on November 17.
The DOT will place honorary signs designating stretches of I-40 from exits 266-270 the Roy Williams Highway and from exits 270-273 the Dean Smith Highway.
“Dean Smith and Roy Williams are two of the greatest to ever have coached college basketball,” says Governor Roy Cooper. “And while their combined five national championships helped make UNC one of the premier basketball institutions in the country, it is their work off the court and in their communities that truly sets them apart. North Carolinians across the state are grateful for their leadership and these honorary road namings will help us recognize them for their hard work and sacrifice.”
Smith and Williams combined to coach the Tar Heels for 67 seasons (Smith was an assistant coach for three years and head coach for 36; Williams was an assistant on Smith’s staff for 10 years and head coach for 18).
The pair of Naismith, College Basketball and North Carolina Sports Hall of Famers combined to lead Carolina to five NCAA championships, 16 Final Fours, 16 ACC Tournament titles, 26 regular-season ACC championships, 33 top-10 Associated Press rankings and 1,364 victories.
The stretch of I-40 that honors Smith includes NC 15-501 (at exit 270) and NC 54 (at exit 273), both of which lead directly to the basketball arena that bears his name, the Dean E. Smith Center.
“This is a tremendous honor,” says Kristen Smith Young and Scott Smith on behalf of Coach Smith’s wife, Linnea, and his five children. “ We are grateful to the Town of Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Department of Transportation for arranging this lasting recognition. Though we know our dad didn’t want to be in the spotlight, he traveled these roads often both as a recruiter and a competitor. We hope as others drive through this area, either coming to Chapel Hill, supporting a home or rival team or are just passing through, they might have a positive memory of Coach Smith, about a game, the basketball teams he coached or time spent in this town and at the University.”
The Roy Williams Highway extends from NC 86 at exit 266 to NC 15-501. Again, both roads lead to the basketball home of the Tar Heels, where the team plays on Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center.
“I’m flattered and consider myself to be a very lucky person to receive such an honor,” says Williams. “This came as a complete surprise. I never had an idea this was in the works. It’s something our family and friends will share with a great deal of pride and will mean even more years from now as our grandkids and their families can see those signs with pride and enjoyment.”
The stretch of the Roy Williams Highway that begins at exit 266 is especially meaningful for the Williams family.
“A long time ago when I was an assistant coach, I used to help my friend Russ McCormick clear the land in the forest right by NC 86,” says Williams, who retired as head coach in April. “For several years, the nice lady who owned the land there gave us permission to collect firewood on her property. The day the state took ownership there were 18 trucks to replace Russ and me, but I spent many memorable days out there.”
“As two of the greatest college basketball coaches ever, Dean Smith and Roy Williams devoted their lives to mentoring generations of young athletes in the principles of integrity, hard work and perseverance and accomplished so much along the way,” says Mike Fox, chairman of the N.C. Board of Transportation. “It makes me proud to be able to honor these two outstanding people for what they’ve meant to the state of North Carolina and the many people whose lives they’ve touched.”
Per Release