Roy Williams once recalled his freshman year jobs when former UNC standout was "about to run out of money"

Legendary coach Roy Williams honed his craft under former North Carolina Tar Heels coach Dean Smith before departing for the Kansas Jayhawks job and then coming back to Chapel Hill for an 18-year stint. Williams was born in North Carolina and he played in Smith's team as a freshman (1968-1969) before becoming an assistant under the famous coach.

During a 2022 segment of the "In-Depth with Graham Bensinger" show, Williams recounted how he had to work several jobs to stay in North Carolina and learn his craft under Smith despite his financial aid running out (0:26).

"I had some financial aid money but it was starting to run out so we win the Big Four freshman tournament and I came back and I knew I was about to run out of money," Roy Williams said. "So, I saw this sign that said, 'Umpires needed at the intramurals.' So I went to the meetings that night and I started umpiring softball games.

"The next year I started working at the intramurals office. I officiated basketball, softball, refereed football. I did anything that needed any kind of scorekeeper or referee. By the end of it I was doing all the championship games, I worked 24 hours a week for the rest of my college basketball career."

Roy Williams did not only work as an umpire and referee. Before his coaching career with the Kansas Jayhawks took off, he was a calendar salesman as well.

"I was the best calendar salesman you've ever seen," Williams said. "First year I sold 10,500 calendars, I made $2,400 and drove 9,000 miles in nine weeks. The last year I did it eight years later, I sold 50,000 calendars and instead of making $2,400, I made $30,000 and I did it in five weeks."

Roy Williams returned to save North Carolina

Despite a career as a referee, umpire and calendar salesman, Roy Williams ultimately made his name as a college basketball coach. He learned his craft under Dean Smith and the pair even won a national championship together in 1982 with the help of the legendary Michael Jordan, who scored the game-winning basket against the Georgetown Hoyas.

Williams departed for the Kansas Jayhawks job in 1988 but he was courted by the North Carolina Tar Heels to return to Chapel Hill in 2000, but he refused before finally taking the job in 2003 after losing the national championship game to the Syracuse Orange.

Roy Williams returned to Chapel Hill and lifted the Tar Heels who had stagnated under coach Frank McGuire and led them to three national championships before retiring in 2021 with a 485-163 record in 18 years at the helm.