TOPEKA ? Dean Smith won more games than any other major college basketball coach before he retired. The arena at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is named for him.
His teams won 20 games for 27 consecutive years. They made 11 trips to the Final Four and won the national NCAA Division I title twice.
He doesn’t need it to confirm his status as a sports legend, but Smith soon will get another accolade: Kansan of the Year.
The Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas announced Wednesday that Smith would be this year’s Kansan of the Year the group’s most prestigious annual award.
The group, which works to preserve Kansas history and promote the accomplishments of notable Kansans, plans to honor Smith and its other award winners during a Jan. 26 banquet in Topeka.
“We’ve tried to concentrate on people who’ve made a difference with their leadership,” said Bill Muir, one of the organization’s leaders.
Smith’s leadership in college basketball, both as the coach and teacher, are undisputed.
He coached his teams to 879 victories in 36 years before he retired in 1997. He mentored players like Michael Jordan and future coaches like Roy Williams.
The Kansan of the Year award goes only to natives of the state. Smith was born in Emporia in 1931 and graduated from Topeka High School in 1949. He graduated from Kansas University and was a member of its 1952 championship team and the 1953 team that lost the national championship game.
Other honorees for 2000 are former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker; Kansas State University President Jon Wefald, and June Windscheffel, the group’s longtime executive director.
Wefald is being honored as Distinguished Kansan of the Year, the group’s award for non-Kansas natives. The group cited him for increasing the university’s library space and helping to increase enrollment.
Baker, who served in the U.S. Senate in 1978-96, is receiving the group’s Citation for Distinguished Service.
Windscheffel is receiving a Citation for Distinguished Service for preserving Kansas heritage. She has been the executive director of the Native Sons and Daughters for 30 years.
