In his twilight years, Carolina's Smith still showing tremendous class

At some point in our lives, we come to a time when life takes more away from us than it gives us.

Older family members pass on, entertainers we enjoyed die, in some instances even the paradigm changes.

I spent the decade of my thirties between marriages, working as a sportswriter and traveling around the country covering games. Much of my travel was for college basketball. I traveled around the Big Eight covering Missouri basketball and around the Big Sky covering Nevada.

I covered NCAA regionals in Providence, Charlotte, Atlanta, Kansas City, Ogden, Salt Lake City and Oakland. I covered Final Fours in Lexington and Dallas.

In all that time, I don't think I ever met a better coach -- or a better man -- than Dean Smith of North Carolina.

Michael Jordan & Smith

He started coaching at Carolina in 1961, and it was his second season when my family moved from Ohio to Virginia and I became a fan of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. Since I wasn't a Tar Heel fan, I wasn't fond of their coach. But no one was better and no one was more successful. Carolina was always a title contender.

I saw amazing games once I started working. In 1983 at Carmichael Coliseum  in Chapel Hill, No. 1 Virginia played the No. 2 Heels. The Cavaliers were playing great, and with about eight minutes left they had a 62-47 lead.

Michael Jordan led Carolina's comeback to a 63-62 victory. It might have been the best game I ever saw.

The last time I saw Coach Smith was 1989, when the Nevada team I was covering came all the way across the country to play UNC at the brand new Dean E. Smith Center.

He coached through the 1997 season, retiring with 879 victories and two national championships. Four years ago, his family announced he was suffering from a "progressive neurocognitive disorder," although they did not identify it as Alzheimer's.

There is one thing about Smith that a lot of people don't realize, and that is that he is an exceptionally fine man. He worked for desegregation in the '60s, opposed the Vietnam War and the death penalty and supported a nuclear freeze.

Celebrating

The excellence he created at Carolina has endured. The Tar Heels won national titles in 2005 and 2009 under Roy Williams, and only the amazing success of Duke under Mike Krzyzewski has kept them from the No. 1 position.

There is a wonderful story on ESPN.com today by veteran writer Tommy Tomlinson, that I would urge everyone to read. "Precious Memories" tells Smith's story from present to past.

I have my own Smith story, though, one I will never forget.

It was March 1986, and the Missouri team I was covering was one of eight teams playing in an NCAA subregional in Ogden, Utah. The Tigers lost to Alabama-Birmingham 66-64 in the first round. I was staying for the rest of the weekend, and the day between rounds was a press conference for the four winners from the first round.

The big story that year was that North Carolina's seniors were the first senior class under Smith who had never been to a Final Four. I was the reporter who asked the question.

"Are you guys feeling the pressure from all the talk about Final Fours?"

Surprisingly, Smith interrupted. He said it wasn't a fair question. "How many other teams here have been to the Final Four the last four years?"

Louisville had, but I let it pass. My question didn't get answered.

The next day Carolina crushed Alabama-Birmingham 77-59. After the press conference, Dean Smith came looking for me.

"I owe you an apology," he said.

I was stunned. "Coach, you don't owe me anything."

He shook his head. "Your question the other day was a good question, a fair one. I interrupted because I'm really trying to keep the pressure off my seniors."

All I could say was "Thank you very much."

That was the day I realized Dean Smith wasn't just a great coach, he was a great man as well.

Read Tomlinson's story.

It may just break your heart.