Dean Smith: The 1997 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year AUDIO Michael Jordan on Smith's retirement (170k) Jordan says Smith was more than a coach (226k) Jordan on how Smith shaped his game (160k) Bill Guthridge on filling a legend's shoes (184k) Smith on his future plans (165k) Father Figure He became the winningest college basketball coach of all time and capped an exemplary career with a graceful retirement, and for all of that we honor North Carolina's Dean Smith Dean Smith Unplugged Smith sat down with SI senior writer Alexander Wolff to share his reflections on nearly half a century in college sports. He reminisced about a certain Chicago Bull, mused about the current overemphasis on winning and sounded off on what's wrong with college sports—and how to fix it. Exclusive Photo Gallery: The Star Heels Check out vintage action shots of six of Smith's greatest Carolina players, including you-know-who By the Numbers It might be impossible to quantify greatness, but we gave it a try Seven Innovations His records, his progeny—players and coaches—and the building named after him aren't Smith's only legacies. Here are seven changes he brought to the game. Year by Year: How the Heels Finished The road to the record: From 8-9 in 1961-62 to 28-7 in 1996-97, Smith outlasted seven presidents and the Soviet Union Previous Sportsmen of the Year: Click on a name to view a capsule profile, with photo and update 1954 Roger Bannister 1955 Johnny Podres 1956 Bobby Morrow 1957 Stan Musial 1958 Rafer Johnson 1959 Ingemar Johansson 1960 Arnold Palmer 1961 Jerry Lucas 1962 Terry Baker 1963 Pete Rozelle 1964 Ken Venturi 1965 Sandy Koufax 1966 Jim Ryun 1967 Carl Yastrzemski 1968 Bill Russell 1969 Tom Seaver 1970 Bobby Orr 1971 Lee Trevino 1972 Billie Jean King and John Wooden 1973 Jackie Stewart 1974 Muhammad Ali 1975 Pete Rose 1976 Chris Evert 1977 Steve Cauthen 1978 Jack Nicklaus 1979 Terry Bradshaw and Willie Stargell 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team 1981 Sugar Ray Leonard 1982 Wayne Gretzky 1983 Mary Decker 1984 Edwin Moses and Mary Lou Retton 1985 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1986 Joe Paterno 1987 Athletes Who Care 1988 Orel Hershiser 1989 Greg LeMond 1990 Joe Montana 1991 Michael Jordan 1992 Arthur Ashe 1993 Don Shula 1994 Bonnie Blair and Johann Koss 1995 Cal Ripken Jr. 1996 Tiger Woods