The UB Connection with Dean Smith

The basketball world is mourning the death of legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith. There is an interesting, if somewhat obscure, United Brethren connection. UB minister Steve Barber called in with some details.

Rev. Cecil (C. R.) Smith was a former minister in Illinois; the churches he pastored included the Manlius, Coleta, and Mt. Carroll UB churches. On the side, he coached high school basketball. Dean Smith was his nephew (his brother’s son). As Steve Barber said, it’s easy to imagine that somewhere along the line, Dean Smith showed up at a United Brethren church to hear his uncle preach.

Rev. Smith had two daughters, both of whom became United Brethren missionaries. They would be first cousins to Dean Smith. Leora (Smith) Ackerman and her husband, Don, spent 11 years as missionaries in Honduras, 1947-1958. Juanita (Smith) Guenzler was a UB missionary nurse in Sierra Leone, 1950-1965. So at some family gatherings, perhaps Dean Smith received some spiritual inspiration from hearing stories about his cousins serving Christ in distant lands.

1 Comment
  • Randy Neuman
    Posted at 13:56h, 09 February

    Dean Smith has much deeper UB roots than you think. His father. Alfred Dillon Smith (his middle name may be in honor of Bishop William Dillon). is the son of Rev. Harry E. Smith of Neosho Conference who pastored at Chanute, Garnett, Haven and other locations in Neosho Conference. Alfred Smith attended Central/Huntington College and graduated from the Academy in 1917. I would not be surprised if Dean actually attended UB churches as a child since his parents lived for awhile in Chanute. I’ll be adding some pictures and more info on the Huntington Archivist Facebook page.

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