North Carolina was so successful under Smith that fans of other ACC schools united in their dislike of the Tar Heels. They mockingly called Smith "Saint Dean," grumbled that North Carolina received preferential treatment from referees and the league — all the things people now say about Smith's longtime adversary Mike Krzyzewski.
Any lingering bitterness among Smith's rivals has faded in recent years as his health has declined. Dementia began to ravage his famously steely memory almost a decade ago. In recent years, the man who once could recall specific plays from games he coached in decades earlier could no longer recognize some of his most decorated players or most trusted assistant coaches.
Those health issues forced Smith to make fewer and fewer public appearances at North Carolina in recent years and made it tough for his ex-players to visit him. Some did anyway out of loyalty to their longtime coach. Others couldn't bear to see him in that state and preferred to remember the good times.
