Bill Guthridge facts for kids
Guthridge in 2013
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 27, 1937 Parsons, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 2015 (aged 77) Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1960 | Kansas State |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1962–1967 | Kansas State (assistant) |
| 1967–1997 | North Carolina (assistant) |
| 1997–2000 | North Carolina |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 80–28 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| ACC tournament (1998) 2× Final Four (1998, 2000) |
|
| Awards | |
| Naismith College Coach of the Year (1998) | |
William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 – May 12, 2015) was a famous American college basketball coach. He was known for being an assistant coach for 30 years under Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. After Smith retired in 1997, Guthridge became the head coach for three seasons.
During his time as head coach, he led the team to the NCAA Final Four twice. In 1998, he was even named the national coach of the year. He retired in 2000, leaving behind a great legacy in college basketball.
Early Life and Playing Days
Bill Guthridge was born in Parsons, Kansas. He went to Kansas State University in Manhattan. He studied mathematics and later education.
While at Kansas State, Guthridge played as a guard for the basketball team. His coach was Tex Winter. He helped his team reach the Final Four in 1958.
After college, he coached at a high school in Kansas for two years. Then, he returned to Kansas State as an assistant coach. He worked with Tex Winter from 1962 to 1967. During this time, the team won many games and reached the NCAA Final Four in 1964. He also coached the golf team there.
Becoming an Assistant Coach
After Kansas State, Guthridge moved to North Carolina. He joined the coaching staff of Dean Smith. Smith was also from Kansas. From 1972 onwards, Guthridge was Smith's main assistant coach.
In 1976, he also helped coach the United States men's basketball team. They won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
As an assistant, Guthridge was very good at teaching players. He helped many big players improve their skills. He also taught the team how to shoot better. He managed many daily tasks for the team and ran their summer basketball camps.
Guthridge was offered head coaching jobs at other schools. But he chose to stay in Chapel Hill with Dean Smith. He once even accepted a job at Penn State, but he changed his mind a few days later.
Leading the Tar Heels
Dean Smith retired suddenly in 1997. This was just two months before the new season. Bill Guthridge was immediately chosen to be the new head coach. School officials gave him a five-year contract. They wanted everyone to know he was their top choice.
In his three seasons as head coach, Guthridge led the Tar Heels to the NCAA Final Four twice. This happened in 1998 and again in 2000. He is one of only five people to reach the Final Four as both a player and a coach.
In 1998, Guthridge took over a team that had already been to the Final Four. He used a "six starters" system. This meant the team's top six players would rotate in the starting lineup. These players included Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter.
That year, Guthridge coached the team to win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. They won 34 games, which was a school record at the time. They reached the Final Four but lost to Utah. After this amazing season, he was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year.
The next season, North Carolina was a high seed in the NCAA tournament. However, they were upset in the first round by Weber State. This was a rare early exit for the Tar Heels in the tournament.
In 2000, the team had a tough regular season. They fell out of the national rankings for the first time in many years. But the Tar Heels played much better in the NCAA tournament. They upset a top-seeded team and made it to the Final Four again. They lost to Florida.
Guthridge retired after that season. He had spent 43 years of his life as a player, high school coach, and college coach. He was involved in a total of fourteen Final Fours as either a player or coach. This is more than anyone else in history. He was a player and assistant at Kansas State, an assistant at North Carolina, and then head coach at North Carolina.
Bill Guthridge passed away at his home on May 12, 2015. He was surrounded by his family.
See also
In Spanish: Bill Guthridge para niños
- List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
