North Carolina coaching legend Dean Smith passed away last month but made sure to give his former players one last gift. His will set aside $200 for every letterman to play for him in Chapel Hill to have a nice dinner.
Coach Smith willed his trust to send a $200 check to each his former players following his passing. #DeanSmithpic.twitter.com/NyiBhU9taQ
— Jim Dempsey (@ChestPassDemps) March 26, 2015
If you’re doing the math, that’s 180 checks totaling $36,000.
Said Serge Zwikker, who played for Smith from 1993-1997: “My wife opened the letter and handed it to me. At first I didn’t know what it was, but when it hit me, it put a tear in my eye. Even after he passed, he was still all about his players.”
Zwikker said that part of him doesn’t like the fact that news about Smith’s gesture has gone public.
“It’s just not the way he would have wanted it,” Zwikker said. “I know he would have preferred to keep it quiet.”
Zwikker said the $200 check is unlike any other money he has received.
“I don’t think I can cash this,” he said. “If anything, I will donate it to a good cause.”
Awesome stuff.
[H/T: ESPN]