Roy Williams Retires After 33 Years as a Division I Head Coach
After 33 years, 903 wins, and three NCAA championships as a college basketball head coach, Hall of Famer Roy Williams is retiring.
Coach Williams ended his final season at Carolina with an 18-11 record including 10-6 in the ACC. The Tar Heels bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the First Round with an 85-62 loss to Wisconsin; the first time in his career that Williams lost a First Round game.
It's impossible to chronicle the totality of Williams' achievements, both on and off the court, but what follows are some of his career numbers:
Roy Williams has been a head coach for 33 years, 18 at North Carolina and 15 at Kansas. He finishes his career with a record of 903-264, a .774 winning percentage. His winning percentage is the sixth-highest in NCAA history.
At Carolina, Williams' record was 485-163 (.748).
The 903 wins are the third most by a Division I head coach. He did, however, reach the 900-win milestone in fewer games (1,161) and seasons (33) than any coach in NCAA history.
Williams was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
He is responsible for three of Carolina's NCAA championships, won in 2005, 2009, and 2017.
In addition to his 33 years as a head coach, Williams also coached five years at Owen High School in Black Mountain, N.C. and 10 years as an assistant at UNC before heading off to Kansas to take the reins of the Jayhawk program.
Williams is the only coach in history with at least 400 wins at two different programs. He finishes his career as the second-winningest coach in Carolina history and third at Kansas.
Williams' teams had 12 30-win seasons (second in NCAA history) and 29 20-win seasons (tied for fourth in NCAA history).
His Tar Heel and Jayhawk teams made the NCAA Tournament a combined 30 times and the Final Four a combined nine times.
32 of Williams' players went on to be NBA first-round draft picks (22 at UNC, 10 at Kansas) with 52 total players in the NBA.
Williams has carried on the legacy of keeping North Carolina men's basketball at the pinnacle of the sport. He will be dearly missed, both for his on-court and off-court achievements.
There is much more news ahead in the coming days. Please stay tuned to All Tar Heels for all your information surrounding Coach Williams' retirement and next steps for the program.
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