Former University of North Carolina men’s basketball coach Bill Guthridge passed away on Tuesday night. He was 77 years old.
According to the Associated Press, the cause of death isn’t known at this time. Guthridge had recently been in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill. He had supposedly suffered from amyloids on his heart and vascular dementia.
''Bill Guthridge was a gentleman coach, but a fierce competitor, and an incredibly loyal member of Dean Smith's staff for three decades,'' North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. ''I learned very quickly when I came to Chapel Hill how beloved and respected he was by people all across this community. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world.''
Guthridge joined North Carolina as a freshman coach for the 1967-68 season under then-head coach Dean Smith. He eventually became Smith’s assistant. When Smith retired in 1997 Guthridge became the head coach. He was 80-28 and led the school to two Finals Fours before retiring in June 2000, according to ESPN. North Carolina made 29 NCAA tournament appearances while Guthridge was there, and never finished worse than third in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.
Guthridge is survived by his wife Leesie and sons, Jamie and Stuart, and daughter Megan.