UNC's Roy Williams donates more than $600K for returning spring sport seniors

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams and his wife, Wanda, donated more than $600,000 to fund the scholarships of seniors who are returning after their spring sport seasons abruptly ended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the school announced Thursday.

The donation was made in May, but the family initially asked the school to withhold their contribution from the public.

"Only a handful of people at the university knew what Roy and Wanda had done to support our students," North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "He called me in March the day the NCAA canceled all spring championships. He didn't want those students to miss that experience and wanted to fund those scholarships for next year.

"I still get chills when I think about his phone call and the impact it would have for dozens of our students."

Over the years, Williams has privately made donations to other Tar Heels sports programs without them knowing, a North Carolina official told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde.

In March, the NCAA granted spring athletes an extra year of eligibility, allowing graduating seniors the opportunity to come back to campus next season.