CHAPEL HILL—Fans filled Franklin Street on Sunday to mourn the loss of the beloved basketball coach, Dean Smith.
Smith died Saturday night with his wife and kids by his side.
"The world lost a very special person... someone who was more than just a coach,” said UNC basketball fan, Jonathan Gladston.
Gladston was teary-eyed as he explained the impact Smith left on his life.
"This is not just about basketball... this goes so far beyond that, of the type of person he was. I never knew him, but he inspired me, he taught me to treat everybody equally,” he said.
As head coach, Smith had 879 career wins, but Carolina alumni call him a lifetime legend because of his actions off the court.
"He was the first coach in the ACC to bring an African American player into the league, and he just stood up for what is right, so just a great man,” said UNC alumnus Hal Routh.
Fans said they will never forget great games with Coach Smith on the court decades ago.
"I was at Wake Forest in the early 80s and it was a great rivalry. Coach Smith was coaching then and you know we did the back and forth with Wake Forest and UNC... they were great games, great sportsmanship, just a great rivalry, so sadly missed, sadly miss Coach Smith,” said John Smith.
Even rival fans remember and respect Smith.
"I wasn't a Carolina fan, but how could you not respect Dean Smith for all he did, he always was a class act,” said Janice Smith.
After influencing Gladston’s life in many ways, he said no other coach with come close to the legacy Smith Leaves behind.
"The world lost a very special person and there is not going to be another Dean Smith again,” he said.
Smith died three weeks before his 84th birthday, which is Feb. 28.