Dean Smith has endorsed Barack Obama.
The legendary UNC-Chapel Hill basketball coach, who previouslycampaigned for John Edwards, announced in an e-mail to Obama supporters today that he was backing the Democratic presidential candidate.
"I have written that when coaching a team, you must be prepared to make changes to meet new challenges and obstacles," he said. "We must be prepared to do the same as a nation."
He added that Obama is "a patriotic American, a committed Christian" and "a good family man."