A man of hard work and dedication

As the start of coach Ron Miller’s 50th season nears, the fencing room at Fetzer Gym again rings with the same booming voice that once echoed in the basement of Bynum Hall and the old “tin can” gymnasium where his fencing classes were first held.

After legendary basketball coach Dean Smith’s retirement in 1997, Miller became the longest tenured coach at Carolina. While Smith was a household name, Miller can still walk across campus in relative anonymity. And that’s just the way he likes it.

For Miller, winning is a result of not only thrusts and ripostes, but also hard work and dedication—habits of mind that can be honed into qualities of character needed to face the real challenges of life.

Read the complete Carolina Story from the University Gazette…

This is story number 210 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.

Miller retired in 2018 after 51 years and 1,553 wins.

Related Stories


Restore a Watershed, Protect an Ecosystem

Ask a Professor: Rada Petric

UNC Coach’s Legacy Cemented Forever