North Carolina announced Thursday that Hall of Fame basketball coach Roy Williams is retiring after a 33-year career that includes three national championships.
The decision comes two weeks after the 70-year-old Williams closed his 18th season with the Tar Heels after a highly successful run at Kansas. In all, Williams won 903 games in a career that included those three titles, all with the Tar Heels, in 2005, 2009 and 2017.
The Tar Heels lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in his final game, which was Williams' only first-round loss in 30 tournaments.
"It's been a difficult year, but everybody's had the problems with COVID that we've had," an emotional Williams said after the game. "It's been a hard year to push and pull, push and pull every other day to try to get something done. But how can you be any luckier than Roy Williams is coaching basketball?"
Williams spent 10 seasons at his alma mater as an assistant coach to late mentor Dean Smith before leaving to take over the Jayhawks program in 1988. He spent 15 seasons there, taking Kansas to four Final Fours and two national title games.
Williams passed on taking over at UNC in 2000 after the retirement of Bill Guthridge, but ultimately couldn't say no a second time and returned as coach in 2003 after the tumultuous Matt Doherty era that included an 8-20 season.
FILE - North Carolina head coach Roy Williams talks to the media in the post-game press conference after an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., in this Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, file photo. North Carolina announced Thursday, April 1, 2021, that Hall of Fame basketball coach Roy Williams is retiring after a 33-year career that includes three national championships. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)Williams immediately stabilized the program and broke through for his first national championship in his second season with a win against Illinois, marking the first of five Final Four trips with the Tar Heels.
Williams had just one losing season - an injury-plagued 14-19 year in 2019-20 - and otherwise missed the NCAA Tournament only in his first season at Kansas when he inherited a program on probation and in 2010 with a UNC team that reached the NIT final.
Michigan's Howard is AP coach of the year
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, the former member of the Fab Five, was named The Associated Press men's college basketball coach of the year on Thursday, receiving 35 of 63 votes from a national media panel. Gonzaga's Mark Few was second with 16 votes, and Baylor's Scott Drew and Alabama's Nate Oats each received five.
The 48-year-old Howard returned to coach his alma mater after John Beilein left for the NBA in 2019. He led the Wolverines to 19 wins before the 2019-20 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and took another, bigger step this season.
The Wolverines reached as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and finished No. 4 after a 19-3 regular season. The Wolverines reached the Elite Eight, but fell just short of their second Final Four the past three NCAA Tournaments with a 51-49 loss to UCLA.
FILE - North Carolina head coach Roy Williams reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., in this Tuesday, March 10, 2020, file photo. North Carolina announced Thursday, April 1, 2021, that Hall of Fame basketball coach Roy Williams is retiring after a 33-year career that includes three national championships. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)