Former North Carolina coach Dean Smith continues to look after his players even after his time on this Earth. Most recently, he has treated his former basketball players to a dinner meal posthumously.

Smith, who passed away last February 7 at 83 years old, treated his former players to dinner perhaps for the last time.

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The Hall of Fame coach left instructions for his estate to send out $200 to each of the varsity lettermen that Smith coached. With the money, Smith wanted them to have a good dinner compliments of their old coach.

The estate trustee, Timothy Breedlove, carried out Smith's wishes. This past week, he recently sent out 180 checks in the mail to the players.

Along with the checks was a letter with the message, "enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean Smith."

"This is certainly representative of Coach Smith and the thoughtfulness and consideration that he had for his players, who were very special to him," Breedlove said in a telephone interview.

For 36 years, Smith coached at Chapel Hill where he established the North Carolina institution as a powerhouse for collegiate basketball. Through his feats, he also established himself as one of the best and widely respected figures on the court.

With a record of 879 victories, he is ranked high up as one of the four winning-est coaches in college men's basketball. Throughout all those victories, he also won two national championships.

The numbers and statistics were just the icing on the cake. The true testament of Smith's greatness was the humanity and values embodied in each of his actions.

During the time when racism ran rampant in America, Smith paved the way for more accepting attitudes. In addition, he did not just see his players as such. Instead, he insisted that his players prepare themselves for a future beyond the game of basketball.

TagsDean Smith, Dinner, Posthumously