UNC Basketball celebrates “Roy Williams Day” to honor legendary coach

The UNC basketball program officially honored legendary head basketball coach Roy Williams in a halftime ceremony during the Tar Heels victory over NC State.

Roy Williams had a ton of success coaching against NC State during his career, going 38-5 against them over his time on the sidelines.

Given the dominance that Williams had against one of the teams he hated the most, it was only fitting that the UNC basketball program honored him when his beloved Tar Heels hosted the Wolfpack.

On Saturday afternoon, North Carolina hosted “Roy Williams Day,” a special celebration to honor their former coach who retired after the end of the 2020-2021 season. The day was put together too officially have Williams join the other legendary players and coaches of the UNC basketball program among the rafters in the Dean Smith Center.

Without a doubt, Williams will go down as one of the greatest coaches in all of sports. He finished his career with 903 victories, 9 Final Four appearances along with three national championships. The Tar Heels did a lot of winning under his watch, as he led a stretch in which the program won 20 or more games in 15 consecutive seasons.

To honor his legacy, North Carolina held a special halftime ceremony for Williams. Just before the ceremony kicked off, the UNC basketball social media pages posted this special video presentation, with narration from former Tar Heel standout Marcus Paige:

If you were watching from home (and unfortunately didn’t get to watch the ceremony live), here’s a recorded version, courtesy of Tar Heel Illustrated:

Along with honoring Williams, the UNC basketball program also took the time to honor the 1982 national championship team. Williams was a coach on that team, working as an assistant coach for his mentor, legendary head coach Dean Smith.

There were plenty of former Tar Heels on hand for this one, including Michael Jordan, who was a member of the 1982 squad. If you watch the ceremony, Williams begins by thanking Jordan for the sneakers he has on for his speech.

Williams isn’t necessarily someone who looks for the spotlight. In fact, we’re sure that he was more focused on the business the current Tar Heels team had to take of on the floor, as his desire to beat NC State is something that will never go away.

Luckily, North Carolina had one of their strongest performances of the season, defeating the Wolfpack in blowout fashion. Williams was on hand to see his former player Armando Bacot score his 1,000th career point, while the Tar Heels scored 100 points in a game for the first time since February 2019. Ending such a special day with biscuits for everyone was quite the touch!

In the words of Roy Williams, it was a “dadgum day” in Chapel Hill. It is a day that will always be remembered, and Williams’ legacy amongst the UNC basketball greats will be seen by many who have the opportunity to visit the Dean Smith Center.

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding Roy Williams and the rest of the UNC basketball program.