Al Wood on Dean Smith: ‘I could talk to him about any and everything’

Al Wood, North Carolina forward 1977-1981:

“He was like a father to me, because I didn’t have a dad. I could talk to him about any and everything. My children, my marriage, my finances, my religion, my spiritual beliefs, his spiritual beliefs.

“When he’d speak to you, he’d make sure to tell you to hug and kiss and take care of your wife and children. That was the most important thing we were ever going to do while we were on the earth.

“That’s the thing that sticks with me the most considering I came up without a dad. I had to learn how to be a dad. It wasn’t something I was trained at. I didn’t know how to do it, and I used to go to him quite a bit.”

Jonathan Jones

This story was originally published February 8, 2015 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Al Wood on Dean Smith: ‘I could talk to him about any and everything’."