Bill Guthridge

William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 – May 12, 2015) was an American college basketball coach. Born in Parsons, Kansas, he attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, graduating with a B.S. in mathematics in 1960 and an M.A. in education in 1963. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. As a student, Guthridge played guard under head coach Fred "Tex" Winter and helped the Wildcats advance to the 1958 Final Four.

After graduating, Guthridge coached at Scott City High School in Kansas for two seasons before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach under Tex Winter from 1962 to 1967. In five years on Winter's staff, he helped lead Kansas State to a 93–43 (.684) record and a pair of Big Eight Conference titles.

Guthridge gained wider recognition over thirty years as Dean Smith's assistant at the University of North Carolina, accumulating many wins in that role. Following Smith's retirement in 1997, Guthridge became head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons. He took the team to the NCAA Final Four twice and was named national coach of the year in 1998 before retiring in 2000.