A Coach's Life: My Forty Years in College Basketball [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Dean E. Smith (Author, Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 1999

Read by Eric Conger
Three Cassettes, 5 hours

For almost forty years, Dean Smith coached the University of North Carolina men's basketball program with unsurpassed success on the court and in shaping young men's lives.  In his long-awaited memoir, he reflects on the great games, teams, players, strategies, and rivalries that defined his career, and explains the philosophy that guided him.

To listen to this audiobook is to understand why Dean Smith changed the lives of the players he coached, from Michael Jordan, who calls him second father and who never played a single NBA game without wearing a pair of UNC basketball shorts under his uniform, to the last man on the bench of his least talented team.  We all wish we had a coach like Dean Smith in our lives, and now we have that chance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Largely conforming to the standard sports autobiography, former University of North Carolina basketball coach Smith recalls his career and the way it dovetailed with the evolution of college basketball over the second half of this century into a big business and media zoo. The writing is talky and easygoing, punctuated by sly humor: "I liked the '60s, but I liked them a lot better after we won a few ball games." Of meeting Michael Jordan, who played for him at UNC, Smith casually notes: "I know I'm supposed to say he was surrounded by a golden light, but the truth is, he wasn't." The son of schoolteachers, Smith writes sincerely about teaching his young, talented players the "issues" involved in basketball and in life, especially race. In a chapter called "I may Be Wrong But!" Smith reveals some of the personal and political beliefs he so tightly guarded during his career. He articulates his faith in God and his political disagreements with the Christian Coalition (relevant because Smith was long the most popular man in a state that elects Jesse Helms to the Senate) and his discomfort with athletes who appear to believe that God cares who wins a basketball game. Although Smith indulges in some stock homilies and bromides about "life fundamentals," he come off as man with compassion, modesty and honesty, as well as competitive drive.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The legendary University of North Carolina coach on doing wellAon the court and in life.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio (November 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375408088
• ISBN-13: 978-0375408083
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,633,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Books on Cassette > Biographies & Memoirs > Sports & Outdoors

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The inside story from the master of the game, January 6, 2000

By 

Kevin R. Barris - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coach's Life : My Forty Years in College Basketball (Hardcover)

For years we've all wondered just how he does it -- from telling freshman Michael Jordan to "knock it down" in the final seconds of the Georgetown game to resting his starters in the final minutes of the '93 national championship. How does he know? This book offers outstanding insight into the man and the game he mastered. If you care at all about college basketball, you must read this book. There will never be another Dean Smith.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still The Best, January 25, 2000

By 

Brenda T. Clements - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coach's Life : My Forty Years in College Basketball (Hardcover)

Dean Smith once again shows why he is the best coach of all time. "A Coach's Life" is not only an indepth look into Carolina Basketball, but a humorous, moving and inspirational look inside the man. A book for the true Carolina Fan! Thanks Coach Smith!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smith shares his thoughts with extreme candor, December 28, 1999

By 

Slader Merriman (Andover, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coach's Life : My Forty Years in College Basketball (Hardcover)

Dean Smith shares his thoughts on Carolina basketball and his life with extreme candor, and warmth to all readers. His candor still today can be heard on occassion on the Road to the Final Four where he isn't afraid to point out who he feels is bad and what he feels about college basketball today. If your a fan of basketball this to me is a Must Read!