Roy Williams coaching history: When did coach leave Kansas for UNC?

Roy Williams got his start as a head coach with the Kansas Jayhawks before leading the UNC Tar Heels to multiple championships.

Aside from being two of the biggest programs in college basketball and wearing a shade of blue, Kansas and UNC have one big thing in common: Roy Williams.

The national-title-winning head coach served at both universities for more than a decade, guiding them to NCAA Tournament success.

On Monday night, he gets to watch the team that gave him his first chance battle it out against his alma mater for a national title.

When did Roy Williams leave Kansas for UNC?

Williams went to North Carolina and started his coaching career under Dean Smith in the late 1970s. His decade of service set him up for a promotion in 1988 when he became the head coach at Kansas.

Prior to Williams’ arrival, Larry Brown had led the Jayhawks to a championship before leaving to coach the San Antonio Spurs.

Williams kept the program among the national contenders, finishing as runner up in March Madness in 1991 and 2003. However, he never got over the hump to bring a title back to Lawrence.

Since he had been a Tar Heels alum, Williams was constantly connected to the UNC job after Smith retired in 1997. He stayed at Kansas when Smith’s successor, Bill Guthridge, was replaced by Matt Doherty in 2000. However, in 2003 he finally made the move to return to Chapel Hill.

Roy Williams Kansas coaching record

Williams won 80.5 percent of his games as head coach at Kansas, going 418-101 during his 15 seasons in charge. He had just one season, his first, with less than 20 victories.

Current Kansas head coach Bill Self has passed his predecessor in wins but Williams still ranks third in Jayhawks history. Phog Allen leads both with 590 wins over 39 years.

Roy Williams UNC coaching record

Just as he did at Kansas, Williams won just 19 games in his first season with North Carolina. He quickly proved his worth by winning his first national championship in 2005.

He went on to win titles in 2009 and 2017.

In total, Williams went 485-163 as the Tar Heels head coach, winning 74.8 percent of his games. He retired after the 2021 season.

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