No April Fool’s Joke: Roy Williams to Retire from UNC Basketball

Roy Williams, the head coach of UNC’s basketball team is retiring, after nearly five decades of coaching.

Big news here in North Carolina — Roy Williams, the revered men’s basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says he is retiring. Williams led UNC to three national championships (2005, 2009, 2017) and spent 33 years in head coaching roles.

Williams’s 903 wins in 33 seasons are the most in NCAA history.

Trailing him by more than 100 games were the 803 wins by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, and the 802 from the legendary UNC coach Dean Smith.

After 33 years as a Hall of Fame head coach, our beloved Tar Heel Roy Williams is announcing his retirement.

Thank you for all you have done and meant to everyone who plays and loves our game.

Release 🔗: https://t.co/l6y5tRjB2I pic.twitter.com/FzTUmbx3v1
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) April 1, 2021

All in all, Williams had 48 years in coaching roles, including a decade as an assistant coach at UNC and five as head coach at Owen High School in Black Mountain, according to UNC’s basketball program.

A 1972 graduate of UNC, Williams spent 18 seasons there as head coach,

His face on a familiar one all over North Carolina, whether you hate or love the Tar Heels.

Even their staunch rivals Duke tipped their hat to Williams.

Salute to UNC Head Coach Roy Williams on a legendary 48-year career. All respect. Thank you for all you have done for the game, our league and the greatest rivalry in sports. 🤝
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 1, 2021

WIlliams will be speaking at 4 p.m. Thursday at a press conference at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

Fans can watch live at GoHeels.com.

Duke University UNC-Chapel Hill

Sarah Ovaska is an senior editor and reporter at Cardinal & Pine. A veteran investigative journalist from North Carolina, her byline has appeared at The News & Observer, NC Policy Watch, NC Health News & More.

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