Legendary University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith passed away last month aged 83 to heartfelt tributes from fans , colleagues and former players . Legendary former University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith passed away last month aged 83 to heartfelt tributes from fans , colleagues and former players . Now those very same players have another reason to salute one of the greatest NCAA basketball coaches of all-time after he left each of them $ 200 in his will along with a request to treat themselves to a nice meal . Smith 's former players have all received a letter from Miller McNeish & Breedlove , PA , informing them that the great man had requested each of his former players be sent a $ 200 check to 'enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean Smith . ' The enclosed checks also included the notation , 'Dinner out . ' Smith coached an estimated 184 players from 1961 to 1997 , reports SI.com . A host of sporting legends - led by Michael Jordan - paid tribute to Smith after he passed away on February 7 . Jordan described Smith , who was the former basketball coach for the University of North Carolina as ' a second father . ' He said : 'Other than my parents , no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith . ' Smith , who died peacefully at his home , left behind his wife and five children . Jordan , played under Smith from 1982 to 1984 before embarking on his legendary NBA career . In a moving statement Jordan added : 'He was more than a coach - he was my mentor , my teacher , my second father . ' Smith 's former players have all received a letter from Miller McNeish & Breedlove , PA , informing them that the great man had requested each of his former players be sent a $ 200 check to 'enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean Smith ' Tributes for Coach Smith poured in from all over the sporting world in a series of messages on social media . Tar Heels senior Jackson Simmons wrote on Instagram that Smith 's 'impact on the game is one that will stand the test of time . ' Fellow UNC alum Harrison Barnes also honored the late coach by tweeting thanks for all the things you stood for and believed in # CarolinaWay . ' Born on February 28 , 1931 , in Emporia , Kansas , Dean Edwards Smith was the son of public school teachers . Players : Former UNC players Sam Perkins , far left , James Worthy , and Michael Jordan , second right , stand alongside former coach Dean Smith . Jordan described Smith as like ' a second father ' He graduated from Topeka High School in 1949 and went to the University of Kansas on an academic scholarship , according to goheels.com . He played varsity basketball and baseball and freshman football for the Jayhawks . He was a member of Jayhawk basketball teams that won the NCAA title in 1952 and finished second in 1953 . Smith also served in the US Air Force as a lieutenant and played and coached basketball in Germany . In 1958 , Frank McGuire hired him as an assistant coach at North Carolina where he served as an assistant under McGuire for three years then Smith became Carolina 's head coach . In recent years , Smith had been battling an illness that was causing him to lose his memory his family said in 2010 . Medal : Larry Brown , right , presents Smith , with a medal during Smith 's induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City , Missouri , he has died aged 83 . But Roy Williams , the current North Carolina coach who spent 10 years as Smith 's assistant also paid tribute to him . He said : 'He was the greatest there ever was on the court , but far , far , better off the court with people . ' ' I 'd like to say on behalf of all our players and coaches , past and present , that Dean Smith was the perfect picture of what a college basketball coach should have been . We love him and we will miss him , ' Williams added . Smith coached the Tar Heels from 1961-97 . He retired after winning the most in the sport with 879 victories . In 1982 and 1983 he won NCAA titles and coached such players as Michael Jordan and James Worthy . Tribute : Roy Williams , left , sits with Smith in 1991 , following his death , he paid tribute to him saying he 'was the greatest there ever was on the court , but far , far , better off the court with people ' He reached 11 Final Fours , won 13 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament titles and coached the U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal in 1976 . During his career he had received many accolades and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983 . He is also a member of the the FIBA Hall of Fame , the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame , the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame . But over the past five years Smith had kept a low profile . In 2013 , his wife , Linnea , accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on his behalf from President Barack Obama .
Ex-University of North Carolina coach Dean UNC passed away last month aged 83 . His will included a request that each of his former players receive a $ 200 check to 'enjoy a dinner out compliments of Coach Dean UNC ' UNC coached an estimated 184 players at Smith from 1961 to 1997 . Basketball great Michael Jordan paid tribute to UNC last month and described him as like ' a second father '