Hog Calls

Nolan: Smith great coach, better man

North Carolina head coach Dean Smith watches his team practice Friday March 31, 1995 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

FAYETTEVILLE -- En route to the 1990 NCAA Final Four in Denver, Nolan Richardson's Razorbacks routed Dean Smith's North Carolina Tar Heels 96-73 in the Midwest Regional Sweet 16 at Dallas.

En route to winning the 1993 national championship, Smith's Tar Heels defeated Richardson's Razorbacks 80-74 in the Sweet 16 at the East Regional in East Rutherford, N.J.

Win or lose, like his two Tulsa vs. North Carolina games before coming to Arkansas, Richardson's respect for Smith only grew.

The North Carolina legend died Saturday at 83.

"He was a great coach, but he was one hell of a man, a jewel of a man," Richardson said Monday. "He is a person that not only will be missed in the game of basketball but the game of life, the most important game."

It was mentioned there never seemed heard a negative word about Dean Smith.

"You won't, either," Richardson said. "Somebody would have to be brain dead to say something negative about Deano. He was a special breed of person. Not one mean streak in his body."

No mean streak nor "me" streak, Richardson said.

"He never wanted to take credit for anything, yet he was the best at the game," Richardson said. "All those those guys on Tobacco Road, he was the dean of all of them."

None in Arkansas knew Dean Smith any better than Arkansas' former football trainer.

Dean Weber, now into his 42nd year with the Razorbacks and his second at year at the Razorback Foundation, became Arkansas' head football trainer for Frank Broyles in 1973 directly from being Smith's trainer at North Carolina.

"I wouldn't be here without him," Weber said. "His call to Frank got me this job. He called Frank in March, and I was here within a week."

Weber said all accolades you read beyond Smith's Hall of Fame coaching ring true.

"I'm a 22-year-old trainer and we'd go to a tournament and he would always be sure I got a watch," Weber said. "Just like Michael Jordan, though this was before Michael Jordan, or Charlie Scott or Bob McAdoo or any of his great ones. He treated me really well, but he treated everybody really well. He took care of the little people."

The truly big people treat all like they are the biggest.

And that, assert Nolan Richardson and Dean Weber, made Dean Smith an even bigger man than he was a coach.

SMITH'S TV DEBUT

The Golf Channel's special segment on Ellen Smith, the 100-year golfer from Fayetteville still golfing at Fayetteville Country Club and featured in this column last December, will air Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel host and Fayetteville native Lisa Cornwell confirmed Tuesday.

Cornwell, who came two months ago with a Golf Channel crew to interview Smith in December, said her segment on Smith will air on Golf Central Pregame Thursday between noon and 2 p.m. CST and on the Golf Channel's Morning Drive, which begins at 10 a.m CST.

Sports on 02/11/2015