T H E
ISSUE XXII
O F F I C I A L
M A G A Z I N E
O F
T H E
R A M S
C L U B
THE CROWD
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES
YOU PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW OUR BLUE IS BEST. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE RAMS CLUB AND HOW YOU CAN IMPACT THE LIVES OF CAROLINA STUDENT-ATHLETES, VISIT RAMSCLUB.COM. P.O. BOX 2446 | CHAPEL HILL, NC 27515 | (919) 843-2000 | RAMSCLUB.COM |
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR When we made a list of some of the most influential Carolina sporting crowds in Tar Heel history, we had no idea we were about to experience a brand new one. That’s what happened on the last Saturday of February, when the state of North Carolina eased crowd restrictions and the Smith Center welcomed back 3,263 fans for the Carolina-Florida State game. It had been 361 days since the Tar Heels had played a basketball game in the Dean Smith Center in front of ticket-buying fans. Let’s don’t have a delay like that again—but, wow, was the energy incredible once fans were allowed to return. The Smith Center had still hosted games, of course. But the student-heavy crowd that helped propel Carolina to a comeback win over the Seminoles was the perfect reminder of why crowds matter. Jump Around isn’t just a song—it’s an excuse for everyone from age three to age 83 to dance with abandon. Kerwin Walton three-pointers aren’t just jumpers—they’re an opportunity to scream, “Threeeeeee…” as the ball is on the way to the hoop and then hold both hands over your head, successful field goal style, once it swishes through. “It was the best 3,200 crowd I’ve ever seen in my life,” Roy Williams said. “I can’t explain to them enough how
much of a better atmosphere it was. I can’t explain to them enough how helpful it was. I’ve never lost a game because of a crowd. But today they helped us win this game because they didn’t give up.” We couldn’t have completed this issue without the help of dozens of Rams Club members who responded to our request for your favorite memories of the best Tar Heel crowds you’ve ever seen. Very few of them mentioned a specific score or an individual line from a box score. It was much more about the feeling of being in the crowd, and of the electricity created by a mass of people trying to will a team to the same outcome. If this issue jogs those memories, feel free to send more to us at bornandbred@ramsclub.com and we may use them in a future issue. The strong hope is that these types of crowds will return to campus regularly in some fashion in the fall of 2021. Until then, we hope these pages are a suitable reminder of what it feels like to join with other Tar Heels and watch a Carolina victory.
Adam Lucas Editor in Chief
PRODUCED BY THE RAMS CLUB // EDITOR IN CHIEF ADAM LUCAS // CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PAT JAMES & LEE PACE // PHOTOGRAPHY JEFFREY CAMARATI, MAGGIE HOBSON, UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS // DESIGN JUJUBE SPORTS PUBLISHING
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“We couldn’t have done it without the fans. From me personally and the team and the coaching staff, thank you to all the fans who came out.” — WALKER KESSLER ON THE FEB. 27 COMEBACK WIN AGAINST FLORIDA ST.
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CROWD edition
THE CROWD
14 No Wine, No Cheese
Dean Smith orchestrated the perfect comeback against an overconfident opponent BY ADAM LUCAS
THE CROWD
16 Judgment Day
Mack Brown took Carolina to the forefront of the national consciousness BY LEE PACE
THE CROWD
ON THE COVER: Some Tar Heel memories last forever, like this photo of Charles Scott taken by a Carolina fan. See more about his story on page 12. COVER PHOTO: HARRY PETERSON-NEDRY
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BORN & BRED
18 The Marvin Williams Game A legendary putback capped a ferocious comeback against Duke BY ADAM LUCAS
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& EDITOR’S LETTER p. 3
THE CROWD
20 Skin of Their Teeth
The Diamond Heels clawed back to defeat ECU in the NCAA Tournament BY ADAM LUCAS THE CROWD
22 Home Away From Home Carolina won a national title in Cary BY PAT JAMES THE CROWD
24 Yes, He Is
Giovani Bernard scored on one of the most indelible plays in Carolina football history BY LEE PACE THE CROWD
26 The Snow Games
Weather has created boisterous Tar Heel crowds on multiple occasions BY ADAM LUCAS
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TAR HEEL TICKER p. 6 THE CROWD
28 Going National
The volleyball program surged to national prominence with a key NCAA Tournament win BY ADAM LUCAS THE CROWD
30 Mack Is Back
Mack Brown’s return to Kenan Stadium energized Tar Heel football BY LEE PACE THE CROWD
34 Room to Grow
The women’s lacrosse program showed off a new stadium with a powerful win BY PAT JAMES FIRST PERSON
38 ‘We missed you’
An unusual 2020 was a reminder of the difference fans could make in 2021 BY TOMON FOX
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R THE CROWD
THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS We asked Rams Club members to share their favorite experiences as a part of the crowd
CAROLINA FOOTBALL
For more football moments, see pages 16, 24, and 30.
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We were so fortunate to be able to attend the Orange Bowl to watch a terrific game! Felt special because of limited number able to be there!
-RUFUS & TONI LANGLEY APEX, NC
I have so many favorite experiences at Carolina, including the Gio Game and several basketball games, but the one that sticks out in my mind the most is the game during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. It was not ideal weather by any means, but I managed to get a really good seat behind the Carolina bench. The Hokie fans came prepared for the weather and so did I. My group bailed out on me long before game time but you’re never alone at a Carolina game. I was soaked to the bone but had a great time cheering for our players and could tell they appreciated the dedicated fans who showed up to support them.
-PEG DIXON LEICESTER, NC
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“ “ “ “ There are too many to choose a favorite, but here is a great one. In Coach Bill Dooley’s second season at UNC, we were improving but didn’t have much depth and had some injuries. We only won 3 of 10 games in 1968, but on October 19, the 4th ranked Florida Gators came to Chapel Hill 4-0 and we were 1-3. We ended up only 3-7 that year with wins over Vanderbilt, Duke and believe it or not, Florida. Florida had an All America running back, Larry Smith who already had run for 450 in their first four games. They were huge favorites. We gave them our version of the “Swamp” as the game was played in pouring rain. Smith and other Gator players fumbled repeatedly. Don Hartig, our kicker, kicked 5 field goals and we scored only one touchdown for 22 points and a 22-7 win. Our defense was unbelievable that day. I was so excited as I ran down on the field with a huge crowd. I was going to tell Don Hartig that he should insure his leg for a $1 million. These were the days when we still attended football games in a suit. I slid in the mud just before I reached Don and he politely stepped over me and ran into the locker room. And yet, what a game, what a weekend and what a win.
Best memory by far and also the saddest was the week that Steve Streater came back to Kenan Stadium a few months after his car wreck where he was paralyzed from the waist down. He was returning to Chapel Hill after signing a contract to be the punter for the Washington Redskins when he was involved in the accident. He was probably the best athlete I have ever seen. National High School Baseball Player of the Year. All conference in football in the ACC at two positions, both Defensive Back and Punter. And he was a really nice guy. His first game back in Kenan, every single time UNC scored a touchdown, the person who scored it would run over to Steve. He was sitting in his wheelchair in the end zone, they would give him a hug and the football. That day he got a lot of footballs. The refs never even made a motion to retrieve the balls. The whole stadium was crying after every score. He was a beloved guy and great football player, still smiling and cheering on his Heels in spite of having his personal dreams snatched away. He passed away over ten years ago still a huge Tar Heel fan and still giving back to his community.
-RICH HEAVENER CORNELIUS, NC
-ALAN LATTIMORE CHAPEL HILL, NC
CAROLINA VS. FSU, 1993
A classic Dean Smith comeback against the Seminoles. For more on this game, see page 16.
I was at the ‘93 FSU game with my roommate. We sat in the upper deck student section. A few guys near us left in disgust at halftime and a lady sitting by them said, “I don’t know why they’re leaving. When I go to games, we win.” And sure enough, while most of the team couldn’t buy a bucket, Henrik Rodl and Matt Wenstrom went to work and momentum began to shift. The comeback was complete when George Lynch stole a pass for a breakaway dunk. The place was going crazy and we looked back at the human good luck charm sitting near us and she just shrugged like, “Told y’all.”
-BRIAN SHUMAN BROOKLYN, NY
I had just graduated from seminary the year before and had begun my career as a minister in Campbellsburg, Kentucky - right in the heart of Wildcat country. My car had a “UNC #1” license plate on it, which made for some interesting conversations, but I stubbornly refused to take it off. My next-door neighbor and member of the church, Joe, gave me a lot of good-natured ribbing, and I gave it right back. One Wednesday night, after the mid-week service, we were walking together toward our respective houses. Joe remembered that we had a game on television that night and invited himself in to see for himself. The opponent? You guessed it, Florida State. We watched as the Seminoles poured it on - and on - and on taking a 21-point lead. I’ll admit to being quite discouraged, but I would not admit it out loud. “When Dean Smith is the coach, the game is not over until it’s over,” I told him. His wry smile suggested that he thought I was dreaming. With about eleven minutes left in the game, Coach Smith gave the orders: full court press. Slowly but surely, they made their way back - and eventually won the game. Joe had to admit that this team was pretty special. Yes, it was special. So special, in fact, that they won the National Championship game that April - and put a target on my back for the rest of my time there - one I happily wore!
-SCOTT ORR GREENSBORO, NC
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R B AT T L E O F T H E B L U E S
The best rivalry in sports is a bucket list crowd experience.
““ “ “ Don’t have a current picture but was at UNC for the 74 UNC-Duke Game. You can see all of us in the picture that was taken from under the goal as Walter Davis made the shot. We were students but came down to the mid-court seats when everyone left early, and we had a perfect angle, saw the shot going to the right, and it looked like it curved, hit the backboard, and went in. It was a GDTBATH.
-JERRY BLUMBERG LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL
Being at the Duke game and taking my grandchildren in the tunnel seeing the coaches and players run through, slapping hands which I know was the factor that caused THE HEELS to win. It was the great privilege of being at the game with my granddaughter who was a freshman and knowing my grandson will be playing tennis at UNC in a few years.
-FRANK THIGPEN PINEHURST, NC
My favorite memory was in Carmichael Auditorium for Carolina vs Duke Basketball in 1974. With 17 seconds left in the game we were down by eight. We came back and tied that game in regulation with a shot off the glass from mid-court by Walter Davis. It was the craziest turn of events that ever was in 17 seconds. We went on to win in overtime. My friends and I absolutely went crazy! People who had left the auditorium that were outside, assuming we would lose, could not believe what they were hearing. No one at that game would ever leave another Dean Smith basketball game until the final horn sounded for the rest of his coaching career. He was masterful.
-LENA ELDRIDGE HICKORY, NC
See page 18
I was a student and member of the UNC fencing team, graduating in 2000. So, I was at the “snow games” when we were allowed to sit near the court. It was the loudest that I suspect the Dean Dome ever got. I was at the FSU football game in 1997 when there was standing room only. My parents were there and got seats, but I spent most of the game on the concourse selling lemonade, as that is how we made money for the fencing team before the age of huge revenues. I was an alum and Rams Club member when State should have won the football game, but instead kicked to Gio, who had both the skill and desire to win the game instead. But my favorite memory was in 2007 during the CarolinaDuke basketball game. My wife and I were at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas watching the game at one of their fine food and drink establishments. Even in Vegas the game was very popular and had many devoted fans. It was our pleasure to get to know Pete Rose who happened to also be interested in the game. It turns out he cheers for Carolina over Duke. The crowd of obnoxious Duke fans cheered hardest when Henderson bludgeoned the great Tyler Hansbrough. But the ever-salty Pete Rose had some colorful words to describe their behavior, and in the end, it was the good guys who came away victorious.
-BRAD DAVIS CHARLOTTE, NC
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R U N I V E R S I T Y O F N AT I O N A L C H A M P I O N S
Experiencing a national title is a lifetime memory.
“ “ “ It is 1957 and I live with my wife, Faye, and 2 year old son, Steve UNC ‘80 BA, (and one, Keith ASU ‘81 BS, on the way), in Victory Village (104 Polk St). Our basketball team is undefeated and is now playing for the National Championship, after an uncountable number of overtime victories. The venue is our neighbor’s apartment, because we have an unreliable TV, do not have a radio, and the game will be broadcast in ‘broadvision’. Broadvision is a new feature that uses both TV (UNCTV) and commercial radio. Since Steve was supposed to be asleep by game time, we left him in his crib with the window open, so we could hear him if there was a problem and could check at any game pause. Woollen Gym was smaller than the size of the student body, so for several years, passes for any game were allotted alphabetically, such that A-M were permitted to attend one game and N-Z the next. As a Chemistry major, I had lots of labs. Working at Fowler’ s Food Store Meat Market any time there were no labs, my time for pleasures was brief. Our on-site games were limited to one football and one basketball game per year. The Wake Forest basketball game was the one that we got to attend that year. Wake was a dominant force, so that game was fiercely fought from start to finish. The championship game did not disappoint and was extremely exciting. When the game ended in victory, the whole town erupted with singing, fireworks, horns blaring and just plain hollering. We left the neighbor’s house in a hurry because we could hear our son awake. When we entered his room, he was standing in the crib, saying “Boom, Boom, Ha Ha Ha!”, just as if the noise was an everyday occurrence, but unexpected and funny, at this time.
-BEN DOUGLAS WACCAMAW, NC
Linda and I were on vacation for the 2017 National Championship against Gonzaga. We were at 10,000 feet on the Mona Kea volcano on the big island of Hawaii watching the sunset. We listened to the game on the internet and when we lost service, we called our daughter and son in law to give us the last few minutes play by play.
-ROGER THUOTTE HILLSBOROUGH, NC
My favorite has to be after the national championship in New Orleans in 1993. Carol could not go because of professor duties, and my son, Andrew, in school at UNC at the time, went with me. Donna and Ben Atwater were with us and added so much. Donna is such a great cheerleader. This started for me my freshman year in Med School, with the undefeated 32-0 national champions and I have attached a file photo with the names of starting 5 and coach McGuire. The 1982 championship, also in New Orleans, was great too, but the group AFTER the game was special. We were at the game with Ben and Donna Atwater. The Blue Team played great against the Michigan “Fab Five” and was holding their own. The starters came back in fresh and Webber from Michigan was fatigued. The whole Carolina gang was sitting on the steps at the hotel waiting for the team to arrive. “Time OUT, Michigan. Time OUT!” we chanted deliriously as the team passed through. Then Donna had me open my blue umbrella and away we went in a classic New Orleans parade down Bourbon Street! Andrew warned when we were too deep in Bourbon Street and we turned around before the biker bar was too rough for us! I never had more fun in public in my life!
-JOHN DYKERS SILER CITY, NC
I watched the 2017 NCAA Basketball National Championship game with my medical school friends at Hickory Tavern then rushed Franklin Street after the game to celebrate!
-HUNTER SMITH CARY, NC
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R SNOW GAMES
Inclement conditions outside can create an unforgettable environment inside.
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sports fan in possession of basketball knowledge must root against Duke. It was the winter of 2014 and basketball season was in full swing. As a freshman, I was so excited for it to be basketball season and get to go to some of the games! I grew up as a college basketball fan my whole life and even though I was not born and raised a UNC fan, I knew one rule of the basketball world—always root against Duke. I also knew that there was something special about UNC-Duke games and that as a college basketball fan, I should, at some point in my life, try to make it to one of those games. I was super lucky and had tickets for the game, so I had time to get ready after class, eat dinner, and make my way to the Dean Dome. With the weather calling for snow, one of my friends had received tickets from the student lottery and I remember her bundling up at the end of class to go wait in line. As the weather got progressively worse throughout the day, more and more fans were giving their tickets to students since they felt the trip to campus was getting a little dangerous with the weather, but they wanted to pack the Dean Dome with students and create an amazing atmosphere. Six hours later, the game was called off. Duke was not making the 8-mile drive for the game. My friend called me from line to tell me the game was postponed, that she was freezing, and that Roy had come by to say hi! Duke was scared. They didn’t want to play the Heels in an arena packed with thousands of students. If it had happened, the atmosphere would have been absolutely incredible—even more electric and magical than a normal UNC-Duke game… and that’s saying something. Eight days, a snowstorm, and a couple of snowball fights later, game day was finally here… again. My friend Caroline and I were going to the game together and we were beyond excited. Every fan was in their seat well before the game—no one wanted to miss a second of the action, and we’d already waited long enough. As the pre-game hype video finished playing and the starting lineups were about to be called, the entire place was erupting in cheers, electricity, and excitement. From our seats in the upper deck, I think we hardly sat down the entire game. We’d enjoy a slight reprieve during media timeouts and halftime, catching our breath before more cheering. The game was stressful, and in true UNC-Duke fashion, the game was going down to the wire. Every possession, every shot, every point seemed like a huge deal. And it was because it was UNCDuke. The final seconds tick down, and the roar of the crowd is deafening. 74-66. Tar Heels win! The crowd flooded the court. We were jumping up and down and screaming our heads off but then raced to join the quickly growing crowd on the court. Everyone was jumping and screaming and hugging random people, and then we joined together to sing the alma mater. The “Go to hell, Duke!” at the end was one of the loudest I’ve heard. The crowd then left the Dean Dome to rush Franklin St. It was quite the hike up those hills but definitely worth it. The streets were packed and cheers of “Tar!” “Heels!” and the alma mater would randomly break out. Several couches were burning as well. It was so exciting and unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I even worked up the courage to jump over a (small) fire in the street.
-KATHERINE HAM CHARLESTON, SC
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BORN & BRED
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Formerly a sportswriter for the Daily Tar Heel, as well as newspapers in Southern Pines/Pinehurst and Savannah, I was working as a sports editor in Northern Virginia in 1996 when UNC came to play Maryland at Cole Field House. A major snowstorm was predicted for the evening of January 6. To show how amazing Dean Smith’s memory was, I hadn’t seen Coach Smith in 12 years, but when I walked through the entrance door, I heard a voice say “Hi, John, how are you doing?” It was Dean and we spent a few minutes getting caught up before the game. And what a game it was! Late in overtime the ball was loose on the floor under the UNC basket when Dante Calabria grabbed it and flung it up to the basket. Antawn Jamison got the ball and put it in back in with one-tenth of a second left on the clock. UNC won 88-86. It snowed like crazy and I was lucky just to get home, but I had my memories of seeing Dean Smith again and watching a crazy Tar Heel finish to keep me warm. Still do.
-JOHN DUNLAP CONCORD, NC
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R
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The day the 2014 Duke game was originally scheduled I was planning to leave directly from work (in Winston Salem) to drive to Chapel Hill. By late afternoon it was snowing heavily, and the roads were nearly impassible. I knew there was no way I could get to Chapel Hill that night. Never imagining the game would be postponed, I threw the tickets away in my office before leaving for the day. I dropped them in the trash on my way out. As I was riding the elevator down it occurred that there was a chance the game might be postponed so I went back and retrieved the tickets. Thank goodness I did! The attached photo was taken after the game. That’s me on the right with my friend Phil Ayscue, who also is a UNC alumnus.
-KEN JAMES WINSTON-SALEM, NC
G A M E D AY T R A D I T I O N S
Tar Heel fandom is a way of life
In 2003, a week before the ACC tournament, I told my son, Wes, that we should do something special for the 50th anniversary of the tournament. I suggested we surprise our buddies and dress up as Tar Heel sasquatches. He agreed, so I ordered 160 pompoms from The Shrunken Head to be shipped to our home in Virginia. We each wore over 80 pompoms, using safety pins to attach them to our pants and shirts. On Friday night of the quarter finals, our buddies left for BBQ, we stayed in the parking lot, put on our outfits, and painted our faces Carolina blue. We walked around tailgate gatherings, and lots of folks wanted our pictures. Channel 8 TV stopped us to do a live spot on the six o’clock news. We had great seats at the tournament, four rows from the floor. We really surprised our buddies! The Heels upset Maryland, whose fans were seated to our left. We may have taunted them just a little. It was awesome! ESPN showed us a few times, and we got our pictures in a few newspapers.
-TOM BIRD SALEM, VA
Glenn Deal and Andy West preparing for another Tar Heel victory in the Dean Dome.
-GLENN DEAL TAYLORSVILLE, NC
The UNC vs Duke 1965 basketball game (it snowed) in Old Woolen Gym. I was there with my future wife, Sue from Meredith, and I was in final year of MBA school. We won as the underdog!
-DILLON WOOTEN GOLDSBORO, NC
The steps of the Wilson library are a special place to gather to hear the band play before home football games (see attached photo). This has always been a tradition and there is no better way to enhance the game day experience. Not hearing the band play during the 2020 season was very disappointing. I can just imagine the chills when my family and friends are participating again in this game day experience for the 2021 season.
-DOUG & PEGGY WEATHERSPOON CARY, NC
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R
“ “ “ I am a proud graduate of the UNC School of Pharmacy and my husband and I have been Rams Club members for over 40 years. I lost Edward in August 2019 due to Pulmonary Fibrosis, but I continued to take him to the games. I placed his small urn in his seat, and I will assume he watched the games with us and enjoyed! Although, that may sound strange to some, it brought me comfort that he was still part of a UNC tradition he loved, Carolina Football. I also had my first grandchild born that year and she attended her first UNC Football game!! We all missed Pawpaw so much, but she managed to rev up the crowd with her UNC attire and happy face. As you can see below, it looks like she is saying “Let me hear you Carolinnnnaaaa!” I love this photo and have had it hanging on my frig for a year and a half. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of everything we have to be grateful for, even though our lives have been so torn apart this past year. It reminds me of how very fragile life is and it gives me hope and reminds me that life WILL return to normal one day and I’ll be there in Kenan Stadium with my sweet grand babies and all the wonderful fans carrying on the “Go Heels!” tradition.
-WANDA CRENSHAW SOUTHERN PINES, NC
If my deceased husband, Dr. Lawrence Crumpler Walker, were living, I would have wanted him to have submitted “a CAROLINA CROWD MOMENT.” You see, Larry was one of the original Morehead Scholars, and he loved Chi Psi fraternity and CAROLINA (and I don’t use that word lightly). After he graduated from UNC in three years, he went to Duke Medical School, but always said the best part of his time at Duke was that he was only six miles from UNC. From Duke, he went to Oxford University on a fellowship for advanced surgical training, but I am sure he wore his UNC Tar Heel shirt whenever he could. For as long as I can remember, we had eight season tickets for the football games, four in the Pope Box, and four wonderful seats in the lower section for basketball. It became a special occasion for me to have that time with the favorite three men in my life, as we would take our son and two grandsons to every home game as Larry indoctrinated them at an early age to love the Heels. He always expected the Heels to win, but regardless of the score, Larry would not move from his seat until the final buzzer was sounded.
-ANNE KERR WALKER WINSTON-SALEM, NC
OUR COVER
Harry Peterson-Nedry took photos of the 1967-68 team, including the shot chosen for this issue’s cover. I have an array of photographs that capture Carolina dormitory culture, a little bit of study, and a whole lot of passion for us during the early Dean Smith era of UNC basketball. Being an observer, but actively capturing what I saw with photos, this records just a brief flurry of time in Spring 1968, as a young Dean Smith led a core of players that stayed basically intact for their four years, from a distance their freshman year on JV, not Varsity, as was the requirement in those days, to three years in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. Having been to the Final Four in 1967, for Dean Smith’s first time, with the team of Bobby Lewis, Larry Miller, Rusty Clark, Bill Bunting, Dick Grubar, Gerald Tuttle, Joe Brown et al, this core team returned in 1968 and 1969 to the Final Four, losing Bobby Lewis but picking up Charles Scott and Eddie Fogler in 1968 and losing Larry Miller in 1969. The 1968 team made it to the final game against UCLA and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar). Basketball tickets were always highly allocated, even with the new Carmichael Auditorium facility opened in 1965, meaning long lines waiting for normal conference game tickets. Following this team beyond, into the tournament weeks, took compulsive levels of connivance to get tickets and wheedle ways to tournament games. My dormitory mates developed a network of friends to guarantee we could get tickets for key games and which we stressed to the limit for the Final Four to get not only my two
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TA R H E E LT I C K E R THE GIO GAME
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They punted to Gio, and created a magical moment for Tar Heel fans. For more on this game, see page 24.
Picture it: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill; October 27, 2012 My brother, Jordan, and friend, David Stewart, and I were standing in The Blue Zone watching NC State punt away to the Heels to finish the last 30 seconds in regulation, and have both teams head to overtime on a gray, overcast afternoon knotted at 35-all … or so we thought. However, what happened over the next 15 seconds didn’t quite play out that way. From our vantage point, we saw Gio Bernard field a punt at our 26-yard line and almost instantaneously begin running horizontally right before angling upfield toward the sideline. He escaped several near defenders and, by the time he reached the near 40-yard line, two things happened: he was squarely on the sideline with a lot of green grass between him and the end zone, and I was viciously pounding David’s arm as the entire sold-out crowd began sensing that what we were hoping may actually transpire (over eight years later, I believe that David still has bruises from the form that my excitement took in that moment)! The Blue Zone gave us the perfect angle to see Gio safely navigate the sideline and scamper into the end zone, and in doing so, both end a five-game losing streak to those folks from Raleigh in red, but also bestow to all of us an indelible memory that has become a Carolina Athletics hallmark.
-ASHLEY PORTER EASTOVER, NC
floormates and my three sets of tickets but an extra number we planned to scalp at the LA venue to pay for expenses--little did we know that $200-$500 prices per ticket a week before the games (especially focused on the UCLA-Houston matchup) would shrink to face value or less as we and other students descended on LA with the same plan. (Yes, we did luck out to sell our extras and even net enough to reimburse our plane tickets.) It proved to be a trip showing my naivete in both positive and embarrassing ways: it was my first trip to the West Coast, all wide-eyed and pointing to palm trees and strange license plate; at 20, it was my first time on an airplane without a clue as to how seat numbering and air valves and stewardesses worked; and, when I discovered our seats were not far from the nose bleed sections, it was my naivete that took me to the floor under the basket to shoot photos with the professionals from Sports Illustrated and other publications, because I had a pro camera and I didn’t let anyone tell me I couldn’t be there. And it was that naivete grown to confidence that got me entrée the next night too. We had an experience worth whatever it cost in grades that semester or in dollars we scraped up for Carolina basketball. This would be an only chance to see Dean Smith coach his second Final Four of 11 he would coach, plus his first championship game on March 23, 1968, UNC v UCLA. Stories to tell and photos to prove it, early in a storied program, early in our naive lives.
-HARRY PETERSON-NEDRY OREGON
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Picture of me on ESPN doing “Jump Around” at the “Gio game”! Heels broke Wolfpack’s five game winning streak! One of the loudest moments I was a part of in Kenan Stadium!
-JON WALLNER HAMPTON, VA
Without question, it is the sight of Giovanni Bernard running back the punt for a TD –right in front of the N.C. State bench- with seconds left in a tie football game. That was the loudest eruption of noise ever I have witnessed happening within the confines of Kenan Stadium. The place just went bonkers-me included.
-BEN CLIFTON RALEIGH, NC
Watching Giovani Bernard run a punt back for a victory against NC State!
-THOMAS FRANKS CHAPEL HILL, NC
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
82
FLORIDA STATE
77
JANUARY 27, 1993 ATTENDANCE: 21,572
NO WINE, NO CHEESE BY ADAM LUCAS
PHOTO BY UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
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JANUARY 27, 1993
Dean Smith orchestrated the perfect comeback against an overconfident opponent
F
lorida State head coach Pat Kennedy had no idea he was about to be part of history. Kennedy was paging through the North Carolina media guide in the hours before the game when he came across the section on comebacks. Little did he realize his Seminole team was about to be on the losing end on one of the greatest second halves in Tar Heel history. In 1993, Florida State was good and they knew it. They’d won their first game in ACC history by beating Carolina at the Smith Center just one season earlier, and the chatty Sam Cassell had described the building as a “cheese and wine crowd.” “Believe it or not, Sam is a great guy,” said George Lynch, the senior leader of the 1993 club, of Cassell. “And he was right. Our crowd could get a little comfortable with expecting to win games and not giving opponents enough respect. When he said that, he changed some things. It changed the atmosphere of a Carolina basketball game.” But there was no atmosphere good enough to slow down the Seminoles—featuring four future NBA players—in the first half, as they built a 45-28 halftime advantage. Cassell and his teammates sprinted to the locker room waving their hands in the air, broad smiles on their faces. Cassell was heard in the tunnel loudly expressing his disdain for the defense of Tar Heel guard Henrik Rodl.
With under nine minutes to go, FSU still held a 73-54 lead. But then Lynch, Donald Williams and Rodl hit three straight threepointers, and the building began to come to life. Dean Smith nudged the comeback along by calling a timeout that seemed to instill a sense of foreboding in the visitors, and then his team went out and finished the comeback. The second half blitz was punctuated by Lynch stealing a Florida State pass near midcourt and slamming it through with two hands to give Carolina a 78-77 lead that they would never relinquish. As a single moment, the volume that accompanied that dunk is rivaled only by Marvin Williams’ putback against Duke in 2005. The comeback was one of the quintessential comebacks of Smith’s storied coaching career. Not only did he orchestrate Carolina’s gameplan, but he also told his Tar Heels exactly how Florida State would respond. It was a key moment during a championship season for a team that was one of the best embodiments of Smith’s philosophies. “As a team, that group played together as well as any team we’ve ever had at North Carolina,” said Phil Ford, an assistant coach on the ’93 team. “They could read each other. Henrik Rodl was so smart. The big guys, with Kevin Salvadori and Eric Montross, could play off each other. “And with George and Derrick Phelps, we had two defenders who could go off and run something totally different and everyone else would pick up on it and adjust. We’d call one thing, Derrick would see something and run something totally different, and everyone else would pick up on it.”
“ “ THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS The 1993 Florida State game in Chapel Hill was my fondest memory from the Smith Center for Carolina Basketball. The Heels down by 21 in the second half rallied back to beat the Seminoles. That dunk by George Lynch was the loudest I ever heard the Smith Center. I took a friend of mine, Dennis, to the game. He noted that the doctor who delivered his first child was sitting in front of us. After that dunk they were hugging one another and hollering to the tops of their voices. Fans were hugging and high fiving whether they had ever met before or not. Seemed for one night in the Smith Center there were no strangers, and we were all one. We all had a common cause and those are special moments not to be forgotten. Just like Coach Dean Smith would have wanted.
-TOM WILLS WESTFIELD, NC
Having been a football season ticket holder since graduation, and basketball season ticket holder since the building of the Dean Dome, I have many memories, both good and disappointing. Joe Montana coming off the bench in 1974 to lead Notre Dame to victory, and the rest is history, as they say. The 10-8 Clemson game in ‘81, the first time temporary lights were brought in. As far as basketball goes and having trekked to multiple Final Fours (Philadelphia, New Orleans (3), Indianapolis (2), St. Louis), the Marvin Williams putback against Duke in 2005, is probably the loudest I ever heard the Smith Center. But one of the most satisfying wins was the 20+ point comeback against Fla. St. after Sam Cassell’s “wine and cheese crowd” comment.
-TOM OZMENT JAMESTOWN, NC ramsclub.com 15
THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
3
FLORIDA STATE
JUDGMENT DAY 16
BORN & BRED
20
BY LEE PACE
NOVEMBER8,1997 ATTENDANCE: 62,000
PHOTO BY UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
NOVEMBER 8, 1997
Mack Brown took Carolina to the forefront of the national consciousness
B
obby Bowden and Mack Brown met at midfield during pre-game warmups for the game between the No. 2 ranked Seminoles and No. 5 ranked Tar Heels in Kenan Stadium. Bowden looked around the already jam-packed stadium, where the student gates had been closed for three hours already and temporary seating had upped capacity to 62,000. ESPN would beam the game nationwide. The press box was overflowing with representatives from the likes of Sports Illustrated, The New York Times and USA Today. Bowden, celebrating his 68th birthday that very day, put his arm around the 46-year-old Brown. “Boy, I never thought I’d see anything like this in Chapel Hill. It’s really cool,” Bowden said. “It looked like 80,000 people that night,” Tar Heel quarterback Chris Keldorf said. “It was a full stadium an hour before kickoff as we’re warming up and stretching.” It was called Judgment Day by fans and the media—the juggernaut Seminoles with one national title under their belt in 1993 and in the midst of a nine-year run of consecutive ACC titles versus the up-and-coming Tar Heels. Carolina was in the 10th year of Brown’s regime, and the Tar Heels had laid waste to their in-state competition and were beating Clemson regularly. The Seminoles and Virginia were the Tar Heels’ major rivals at the time. “Florida State was the team to beat,” Brown said. “Every player we recruited at the time, we asked the question, ‘Can he help us
beat Florida State?’” Carolina had six straight winning seasons and five straight bowls entering the 1997 season and was attracting national attention, much of it focused on a defense that in 1996 had limited opponents to 225 yards and 10 points a game. The Tar Heels zipped through eight straight opponents (with only Georgia Tech coming as close as three points). The Seminoles were 8-0 as well. Tickets were selling for upwards of $500 and authorities arrested counterfeiters. I-40 east to Raleigh at the time was four lanes only, and massive traffic backups had snarled access to Chapel Hill by mid-afternoon. Franklin Street had a street-fair atmosphere all day. “The merchants really love the FSU people,” Sutton’s Drugstore owner John Woodward said. “They spend a lot of money.” And when Tar Heels stoned FSU’s offense on the first series of the game and safety Omar Brown intercepted a Thad Busby pass on the second possession, no wonder ESPN announcer Ron Franklin marveled, “This crowd is going absolutely berserk.” Sadly for the Tar Heels, their performance from there fell far shy of the hype and emotion. Or perhaps put more accurately, it showed what a motivated and focused Florida State team at the apex of its 1990s decade of domination could bring with its “A game.” The Seminoles won handily, taking a 20-0 lead into the locker room at halftime and finishing with a 20-3 victory. The Seminole defense led by ends Andre Wadsworth and Greg Spires held the Tar Heels to 73 yards total offense—their lowest output since scraping together 56 against Tennessee in 1950. “We were just whizzing by them,” Wadsworth said. “Everybody was whiz, whiz, whiz. There wasn’t much they could do.”
“ “ THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS Seeing games this past fall in a mostly empty Kenan Stadium, it was hard to remember how packed the place was for the 1997 Florida State game. The atmosphere before the game was electric, and unlike anything I have seen before or since in the fifty years I have been going to games. The standing room only crowd was about ten deep behind the sideline hedges. And before the game, outside the gates, there were only fingers in the air, no tickets. I watched one enterprising young man try for a long time, unsuccessfully, to find a ticket. But when the gate opened for a utility cart hauling a load of pizzas, he seized his opportunity. He just got behind the wagonload of pizzas and impersonated a Domino’s guy stabilizing the pizza boxes. He ran right through the gate to the Promised Land. I still admire his resourcefulness.
-ROY COLLETTE KERNERSVILLE, NC
I have been a Rams Club member for 20 years but was not a member in 1997. The night game on November 8, 1997 was such a great atmosphere and even though UNC came up short that evening losing 20 to 3, I will never forget that day. You see I had to be somewhere else that weekend - in Boone for another meeting. So that afternoon, myself and two friends got into my car, left Boone to drive to Chapel Hill, and fight the traffic getting there. We parked out at the Jones Ferry Park and Ride Lot and boarded the bus. Everyone on the bus was hyped up for the game even though it was a cold evening. I even had a friend from years past that was on the same bus with us. As we got closer to the stadium, the traffic got heavier and heavier. People were crammed shoulder to shoulder. I met my sister outside the stadium because we were using her boss’s tickets and they were great seats. It took some time to get into the stadium, but it was worth it. Even though we lost that night, I will never forget how charged the crowd was. That atmosphere in Kenan Stadium was how I had always dreamed how games could be.
-FRANCES EDWARDS BANNER ELK, NC ramsclub.com 17
THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
75
BY ADAM LUCAS
PHOTO BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
THE
MARVIN WILLIAMS GAME 18
BORN & BRED
DUKE
73
MARCH 6, 2005 ATTENDANCE: 22,125
MARCH 6, 2005
A legendary putback capped a ferocious comeback against Duke
R
oy Williams has a simple way to describe the celebration when Marvin Williams followed Raymond Felton’s missed free throw with a putback that gave Carolina a 74-73 lead over Duke. The Tar Heel head coach says that instant was the single loudest moment he’s ever heard any building, anywhere, at any time. It was so loud inside the Smith Center at that instant that many in the record crowd didn’t hear the official’s whistle blow when Williams was fouled. On the Tar Heel Sports Network call of the game, Woody Durham is narrating Marvin Williams’ improbable shot when Mick Mixon has to interject, “And he was fouled!” That’s how loud it was. Williams sank the ensuing free throw to provide the final 75-73 margin, the Tar Heels survived a last-second J.J. Redick shot and a Daniel Ewing followup, and pandemonium reigned in the Smith Center. It was that loud because this was more than just a CarolinaDuke game. This was years of built-up frustration pouring out of the Smith Center stands. Just earlier that year, Carolina had fumbled away a chance to beat the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke had won 10 of the last 11 meetings, 15 of the last 17, and four straight. Included in that seven-year stretch had been five defeats of at least 20 points, five other doubledigit defeats, and just to vary the pain, two overtime losses. Those were the stakes solely for the rivalry. Also being decided was the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship,
which Carolina had not won outright since the 1992-93 season. There were NCAA Tournament seeding implications. And it was also Senior Day for the beloved class of Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott, a group that arrived with big hopes and suffered through 8-20. In addition to all the intangibles that went into the game, the contest itself was also a near-miracle. Duke led, 73-64, with three minutes left. The second half had been a struggle, to the point that Roy Williams snapped, “Get your head up!” at Jawad Williams during a late timeout. The head coach was planning on a comeback. But remember, this was still early in Williams’ tenure back in Chapel Hill. His players were more accustomed to losing these games than they were to winning them. Until the comeback started with a Jawad Williams offensive rebound and basket. Marvin Williams made a couple of free throws, Sean May—on his way to an incredible 26-point, 24-rebound performance in his last game at the Smith Center—converted a three-point play, David Noel forced a turnover, Felton hit a free throw, and then came Marvin Williams’ iconic shot. Given all the implications, it very possibly could be the most significant victory in the Roy Williams era. Does Carolina go on to win the national championship if they haven’t already exorcised the Blue Devils? There’s no guarantee. “You know when you get that feeling like everything is supposed to be right on this day?” David Noel said after the victory. “You find some way to get in a drought but it always turns out right? That’s the feeling I had. And that’s the feeling the team had when we came out of the huddle.”
“
“YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GET THAT FEELING LIKE EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO BE RIGHT ON THIS DAY? YOU FIND SOME WAY TO GET IN A DROUGHT BUT IT ALWAYS TURNS OUT RIGHT? THAT’S THE FEELING I HAD. AND THAT’S THE FEELING THE TEAM HAD WHEN WE CAME OUT OF THE HUDDLE.”
THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS I was in attendance at the 2005 game against Duke. I purchased my tickets at an RA date auction at Granville Towers emceed by Mick Mixon. It was my freshman year, and I knew I had no chance at getting UNC vs. Duke tickets through the lottery, so when an attractive RA got up on the block, I stood up and offered to purchase a date with her for $200.00 if he threw in a Duke vs. UNC basketball ticket. The crowd went crazy, and the peer pressure was enough for Mick Mixon to acquiesce. I ended up dating the RA for two years, but the Duke vs. UNC 2005 game experience was definitely the best $200 I have ever spent. I will never forget Marvin Williams’ fade-away from the corner. After we held on the ensuing defensive possession, I remember being in shock. A young alumnus with her daughter who was sitting beside me had to nudge me to rush the court. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
-BRIAN HUNT CHARLOTTE, NC ramsclub.com 19
THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
11
EAST CAROLINA
10
JUNE 2, 2007
ATTENDANCE: 2,757
SKIN OF THEIR TEETH BY ADAM LUCAS
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
20
BORN & BRED
JUNE 2, 2007
The Diamond Heels clawed back to defeat ECU in the NCAA Tournament
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he popularity of Carolina baseball was exploding in the spring and summer of 2007. The Tar Heels had an excellent team stocked with homegrown talent and were coming off an appearance in the national championship series in 2006, which had capped a nearly two-week stay in Omaha that enabled Carolina fans around the country to regularly watch the Heels on national television. Chad Flack’s walk-off home run to send the Heels to Omaha in 2006 had also ignited a $17 million fundraising campaign to renovate Boshamer Stadium. The 2007 postseason would be the last in the “old” Boshamer, with the program relocating to Cary for the 2008 season while the facility was upgraded. As the regional would prove, old Boshamer simply wasn’t big enough to support the increased interest in Carolina baseball. Only two teams in the country sold out their 2007 baseball regional on the first day tickets were available—Carolina and perennial power Vanderbilt. With East Carolina also in the regional field, tickets were a hot item, and only Rams Club members and past baseball ticket purchasers were offered the option to buy them. A public ticket sale was never held. The anticipated key game in the regional came to fruition when the Tar Heels and Pirates met on Saturday night at a packed Boshamer. Carolina had won both regular season matchups comfortably, but the postseason battle was much closer. In an era of different bat technology and frequent home runs, ECU scored five runs in the top of the third inning to take a 5-1 lead, but the Tar Heels immediately tied it thanks to a pair of Pirate errors. Two more errors gave Carolina an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth, but the visitors took a 10-8 lead in the top of the eighth. That set the stage for a wild bottom of the ninth that featured a wild pitch, a walk-off, and some unexpected dental work. By that point, Carolina assistant coach (and future head coach) Scott Forbes and ECU head coach Billy Godwin had both been ejected. Rob Wooten had pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to give the Tar Heels a chance to rally, which began with walks to Mike Cavasinni and Seth Williams. Garrett Gore moved both runners over with a bunt and then a wild pitch scored Cavasinni. Reid Fronk’s single scored Williams, and after a Tim Fedroff single, Dustin Ackley’s walk-off won it for the Tar Heels. It also set off one of the wildest on-field celebrations ever at Boshamer Stadium, which culminated with Wooten’s tooth opening a gash on Fronk’s head. Carolina used the momentum
to win the regional, then won two out of three from South Carolina in the first-ever super regional in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels capped the year with a second straight appearance in the national championship series. And it all started with a raucous win at Boshamer Stadium over an in-state opponent. “That’s about as good a baseball game as you’ll see,” Tar Heel head coach Mike Fox said after the win over ECU. “I think we gave the fans all they asked for. That’s a classic, and it’s hard to put that game into words. I think a lot of people here today will remember it…To win like that, you can’t win any more exciting than that in baseball.”
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
2
HOME AWAY FROM HOME BY PAT JAMES
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
22
BORN & BRED
NOTRE DAME
1
DECEMBER 7, 2008 ATTENDANCE: 7,102
DECEMBER 7, 2008
Carolina won a national title in Cary
W
inner of 22 national championships and about 800 more games than it has lost, the North Carolina women’s soccer program has rarely been considered an underdog in its 42 years of existence, especially in postseason play. That, however, is the position UNC found itself in before its 2-1 win over Notre Dame in the 2008 College Cup final at Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park. The 26-0-0 Fighting Irish entered the match looking to become the fifth college team to finish a season undefeated and untied – and the first non-Carolina team to do it. They were also trying to match the Tar Heels’ 27-0 record in 2003, the best record in a season in the sport’s history. As much as that contributed to it being favored against UNC (24-1-2), Notre Dame also had Carolina’s number at the time. The Fighting Irish had won twice at Fetzer Field in the preceding 13 months, putting them in position to become only the second team to beat UNC three straight times and the first to defeat Carolina twice in the same season. Despite all that, the Tar Heels’ confidence never wavered. Neither did their energy, from the moment they left their locker room late for warmups because of a pregame dance party until the final buzzer sounded and the partisan crowd of 7,102 rejoiced. “It was like a quote-unquote home game for us,” said Yael Averbuch West, then a senior. “We were very confident and comfortable. Not that we were taking anything for granted, but it was a venue we had been to a number of times and we had been there before and there is such a culture of winning. So we were ready.” Even though it might not have appeared that way from the jump. Sixteen seconds is all the Fighting Irish needed to take a 1-0 lead, as All-American Kerri Hanks caught Carolina flat-footed and found the back of the net. Averbuch West recalls her mind going “places it shouldn’t go.” Thankfully, though, UNC had 89:44 to recover. “It was so early in the game that we assumed we would score,” said Casey Loyd (née Nogueira), then a junior. “It was definitely a hit, but it didn’t knock us down.” Loyd ensured it didn’t, scoring what Anson Dorrance later called two “world-class” goals. The first came at the 51:08 mark, when Jessica McDonald drew a foul about five yards outside the penalty area and Loyd buried the subsequent free kick. The spot of the kick was the same from which Loyd had practiced in pre-training sessions with
Averbuch West and Tobin Heath throughout the season. And that wasn’t lost on Averbuch West in the moment. “I’m really bad at celebrations, I don’t even know how to act,” she said. “But I have never celebrated a goal like that goal. I was screaming, I think I was crying. … When Casey scored the equalizer, I knew we were going to win.” Averbuch West’s premonition came to fruition with only 2:06 left, when Loyd dribbled down the left side and ripped a shot with her left foot that sailed over the head of the Notre Dame keeper. “It was a thrilling feeling scoring that goal,” Loyd said. “My teammates dog-piled, and the crowd was going nuts. I will never forget that feeling.” Loyd’s goal secured UNC’s 100th NCAA Tournament win and its 20th national championship overall. It was also the third straight that it won in front of a pro-Carolina crowd in Cary. “Carolina always has the best fans.” Loyd said. “We were privileged to have many loyal fans at all of our games and appreciated them so much.”
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
43
NC STATE
35
OCTOBER 27, 2012 ATTENDANCE: 62,000
YES,
HE IS! BY LEE PACE
PHOTO BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
24
BORN & BRED
OCTOBER 27, 2012
Giovani Bernard scored on one of the most indelible plays in Carolina football history
I
t was, said Tar Heel coach Larry Fedora, the gold standard of football environments in Kenan Stadium. “Six of those a year, that’s what we’re after,” Fedora said. “Anything less and we’re falling short.” Fedora was speaking during the offseason leading into the 2013 season and reflecting on the Tar Heels’ dramatic win the previous October over arch-rival NC State. The victory was the high point of Fedora’s first season in Chapel Hill, when the Tar Heels posted an 8-4 record and tied for first the ACC Coastal Division. It was, of course, the Gio Game, the occasion of the fleet tailback’s 73-yard punt return for a touchdown with 13 seconds to play. Where were you when Walter Davis hit the bank shot against Duke in 1974? When young No. 23 ripped the baseline jumper in New Orleans in ’82? And when Gio took it to the house? Don McCauley, the star tailback from the 1968-70 era, was watching from the Pope Box on the north side: “The explosion of noise was unlike anything I’d ever heard in Kenan Stadium,” McCauley said. “What a play. Gio is so powerful, so strong, he’s got that low center of gravity and that incredible spin move. And he’s got one of the greatest stiff-arms I’ve ever
seen. He’s got everything. Beyond all of that, he’s got a level of confidence and a spirit that you cannot beat him. That’s contagious on the team.” Former quarterback T.J. Yates had an off-week with the Houston Texans and was standing on the 20 yard-line on the west side of the Tar Heel bench. “I lost Gio when he first caught the ball,” Yates said. “I saw him again when he hit the sideline and I knew it was over. After that it was just pandemonium on the sideline.” Linebacker Tommy Heffernan had just left the field with the first-team defense. As a second-teamer on the punt unit, he knew all the returns and pressures, and his pulse quickened as he trotted past Fedora and heard him call for The Wall. “I play behind Norkeithus Otis, so I watched him,” Heffernan said. “He got downfield, made a great block. Tre Boston got two of them. They fell, one by one. Gio was opposite me at midfield and I knew he was gone. I started running down our sideline with him. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” In a quiet moment in a back hallway of Kenan Football Center before addressing his coaching staff and players, Fedora reflected on what he’d preached all week to the Tar Heel punt return team—“You will make a game-changing play on Saturday,” was his mantra—and then what he’d just witnessed, a Swiss watch of timing and precision, of eleven players executing with technique and heart and confidence. “They believed,” Fedora said quietly, his equanimity belying the chaos everywhere else. “They never stopped believing all week long. When you truly believe, you’ve got a chance.”
“ “ THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS On 10/27/2012, having been to many of the home football games since the late 1970s, I witnessed the most exciting play I have ever seen - Gio Bernard’s punt return versus NC State. Tie game, 35-35, 30 seconds left. Sitting with our crew - 10 tickets we have had together for many years (and still today). We all met at UNC during my undergrad years, 1981-1985. This game, we also had one of my best college buds, Brent Woods, and his brother Barry, a NC State grad who loved to talk smack, sitting near us. At any rate, Gio ran the punt return back for a touchdown to win the game. NC State, our biggest rival in football, a great game, great friends and an incredible ending to the game. Needless to say, it was a highlight to a day that started at our tailgate at the Newman Center mid-morning, and the fun continued late into the night.
-BILL SAUNDERS CHARLOTTE, NC
What was the most exciting moment (in recent history)? I say recent history because what can beat Walter’s basket my senior year?! But ... My vote is for the “the return,” Kenan was truly electric. Topped off by being in the Pope Box with my best friend Rhyne Cannon whose dad was a UNC grad. My back is still sore from my cousin Tony Rand jumping into my arms after Gio scored!
-ED RAND CHARLOTTE, NC
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
75
63
MARYLAND
JANUARY 27, 2000 ATTENDANCE: 15,455
THE
SNOW GAMES BY ADAM LUCAS
PHOTO BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
FEBRUARY 12, 2014: POSTPONED // ATTENDANCE: HUNDREDS ALREADY IN LINE
NORTH CAROLINA 26
BORN & BRED
74
DUKE
66
FEBRUARY 20, 2014 ATTENDANCE: 21,750
JANUARY 27, 2000 // FEBRUARY 20, 2014
Weather has created boisterous Tar Heel crowds on multiple occasions
S
ometimes, the conditions outside impact the conditions inside. That’s what happened in this series of games, beginning with a win over Maryland in 2000 that ultimately changed Smith Center seating. Carolina’s game against the 22nd-ranked Terps had already been pushed back by one day because of a 20.3 inch snowfall in Orange County. The 24 hour delay didn’t do much to thaw out the Triangle, and very few ticketholders made the trek to the Smith Center. To further dim the mood, the Tar Heels were on a four-game losing streak. Ticketholders were given priority for their ticketed seats for the first four minutes of the game. But at the first media timeout, a PA announcement informed fans that seats were now first-come, first-served. The resulting mad scramble featured students hopping over the tops of some courtside chairs to snag the prime empty seats. By the time the students stormed the lower level, Maryland was on the way to building an 11-point lead. They still led by seven points at halftime. But fueled by the energy in the building and some timely Brendan Haywood shots, the Tar Heels went on a 14-0 second half run. “Not in this atmosphere, we weren’t going to put Carolina away tonight,” Maryland head coach Gary Williams said after the game.
The atmosphere that night in Chapel Hill powered the push for better seats in the building, which led the Rams Club and athletic department to collaborate on the introduction of the student risers before the 2000-01 season. Those risers were certain to be packed on the night of Feb. 12, 2014, when Duke was scheduled to visit Chapel Hill. But hours before tipoff, the Blue Devils elected not to make the trip, even as hundreds of students were already in line to pack the building. Although roads were indeed icy, there was also speculation that the Devils wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2000 student-heavy crowd against a hot Carolina team that had won five in a row. Most of the Tar Heels were already at the gym when the game was called, and were left aimlessly shooting around on the Smith Center court with no one in attendance. It turned out that all the postponement did was delay the pandemonium. If possible, the Smith Center was even more charged eight days later. Leslie McDonald scored 21 points and Marcus Paige scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Duke led 51-40 in the second half, but Roy Williams varied his defense between man to man and zone to force a six-minute Duke scoreless stretch. Nate Britt hit four clutch free throws in the closing minutes to seal the win. The Tar Heel winning streak hit eight and eventually stretched to 12 games in a row. Just as the crowd did in 2000, fans stormed the Smith Center court at the buzzer. The PA blared “Jump Around,” and the resulting dance party had seismic effects. “I could feel the floor shaking,” said Tar Heel center Desmond Hubert.
THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS
“
My parents had always told me, growing up, that I would have to wait until college to go to a UNCDuke game. We had two season tickets, but they were alumni (‘93), and those tickets were theirs! I accepted my fate, biding my time. But then the snow hit in 2014 and the game was cancelled. And at the exact time it was rescheduled for, my dad would be midair on a flight back from a work trip to India. My mom flipped a coin to decide between my younger brother and I, tails came up, and thus ensued the best day of my life to that point (and possibly since, besides actually getting into UNC!). I got to go in 7th grade, a full six years ahead of schedule! I was giddy; I screamed and yelled so loud that I couldn’t see; my hands hurt from clapping for days after. An iconically vintage Marcus Paige (my favorite player ever), a clutch Leslie McDonald, a court stormed out of pure joy rather than obligation. The Dean Dome was the loudest I’ve ever felt it from the beginning, louder than big games against Kentucky; the crowd was unified and engaged - we were the ones lucky enough to be in the building after all that waiting and chaos, so we were going to do our part to win! I may have been 12, but I knew exactly how special that game was. Especially now, missing out on one of the few promised seasons of jumping around in the risers, I’m so grateful to have had that unexpected and magically hype experience at the Snow Game.
-MIA HOOVER CHAPEL HILL, NC
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
3
SOUTHERN CAL
BY ADAM LUCAS
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
GOING
NATIONAL 28
BORN & BRED
1
DECEMBER 6, 2014 ATTENDANCE: 1,849
DECEMBER 6, 2014
The volleyball program surged to national prominence with a key NCAA Tournament win
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arolina volleyball arrived on the national stage in 2014, and they did it at Carmichael Arena. T hat’s where the Tar Heels defeated traditional powerhouse Southern California in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “We knew we had great crowds at Carmichael that season,” says Tar Heel head coach Joe Sagula. “To have them make an impact against a volleyball power like Southern Cal, a team accustomed to big crowds, was terrific.” The match was the home finale of one of the best seasons in program history. Carolina had achieved its highest AVCA coaches’ poll ranking, its highest NCAA Tournament seed, its highest NCAA RPI, and its best win based on opponent ranking— all in one season. On the way, the Tar Heels had played in front of 4,610 fans in a four-set win over third-ranked Florida State and 5,517 fans in a win over Duke. Word had spread across Chapel Hill that the general admission games at Carmichael were some of the best entertainment on campus. The win over the Blue Devils secured the program’s first ACC championship since 2008. The Tar Heels had set national attendance records when playing in front of huge crowds before Late Night with Roy Williams basketball events. Now, they were regularly drawing thousands all on their own. Carolina came into the match against the Trojans with a 15-0 home record. They were hosting the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004, and had already posted an opening round victory over Hampton. But Southern Cal was volleyball royalty, and head coach Mick Haley had already won four national titles, including a pair with USC. So it was meaningful when Haley complimented the Tar Heel crowd both to Sagula and in his postgame press conference. Carolina lost a close 25-23 first set, but then came back for a 27-25 decision in the second, won another close one at 25-23 in the third, and closed out the Trojans, 25-15, in the fourth. Chaniel Nelson led the Tar Heels with 16 kills, and Ece Taner had 24 digs, four assists and a service ace. Carolina limited Southern Cal to a .153 hitting percentage. “I did think from a crowd standpoint, it had to be a really fun match to watch,” Haley said. “The crowd was flying off its feet on every hit and every dig.” “Tonight was a special night,” Sagula said in the wake of the win. One week later, the Tar Heels would advance to the regional final for the first time in program history with a win over Oregon in Minneapolis. Carolina finished the season 29-3 overall.
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“WE KNEW WE HAD GREAT CROWDS AT CARMICHAEL THAT SEASON. TO HAVE THEM MAKE AN IMPACT AGAINST A VOLLEYBALL POWER LIKE SOUTHERN CAL, A TEAM ACCUSTOMED TO BIG CROWDS, WAS TERRIFIC.”
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
BY LEE PACE
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
MACK IS
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SEPTEMBER 7, 2019 ATTENDANCE: 50,500
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019
Mack Brown’s return to Kenan Stadium energized Tar Heel football
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onnor Barth knows a thing or two about emotion and electricity firing on all cylinders in Kenan Stadium, about a big play sending the decibel meter to the extreme. After all, he authored one himself, as a freshman kicker in 2004 striking a 42-yard field goal at the gun to beat No. 4-ranked Miami. Fifteen years later and an NFL career in the books, Barth is back in Kenan for the debut of Mack Brown Vol. II—the first game of Brown’s second era as Carolina’s head coach. The Miami Hurricanes are in town for a prime-time, national TV encounter in the second game of the 2019 season. “You set foot on campus now and you can feel a new aura around the program,” Barth said. “With Mack being here, it brings a lot of national exposure. I’ve not seen the stadium like this in a long time, not since we played some big night games like the Miami game in ’04. It’s exciting to see the fan base get behind the team and for the team to play so well in the fourth quarter.” Phil Longo was in Kenan Stadium that night in 2004 for Barth’s game-winner; he was visiting his old college coach from Glassboro State, John Bunting, who was then leading the Tar Heels. Now in 2019, Longo is the offensive coordinator for the Tar Heels. “I thought that was a great experience,” he said. “But this was better. From the time we went out pre-game until the end, the energy and electricity were off the charts.” Every seat was full. Every vocal cord stretched. Every emotion quivered between the joy of seeing the Tar Heels bolt to an early 17-3 lead to the horror of watching them lose their mojo midgame and then fall five points behind late in the fourth quarter. Every heart pulsated save the one inside the chest of the ubercool freshman quarterback Sam Howell, who engineered a game-winning scoring drive, capped by Dazz Newsome’s 10yard catch in the corner of the end zone. “It was absolutely the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in Kenan, hands down,” fifth-year senior nose guard Aaron Crawford said. “It was spectacular to see. The crowd really helped us in the flow of the game. They were never down. We made mental mistakes and they stuck with us the entire game and celebrated with us at the end.” “I am so happy for a bunch of young guys who have struggled in the fourth quarter to have won two games against teams that are really talented and well-coached,” Brown said. “That’s really special. It helps your program. We had great recruits in for the game. The fan base was unbelievable. I don’t think it’s ever been better.”
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“I AM SO HAPPY FOR A BUNCH OF YOUNG GUYS WHO HAVE STRUGGLED IN THE FOURTH QUARTER TO HAVE WON TWO GAMES AGAINST TEAMS THAT ARE REALLY TALENTED AND WELL-COACHED. THAT’S REALLY SPECIAL. IT HELPS YOUR PROGRAM. WE HAD GREAT RECRUITS IN FOR THE GAME. THE FAN BASE WAS UNBELIEVABLE. I DON’T THINK IT’S EVER BEEN BETTER.”
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THE CAROLINA VICTORY FUND
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CAROLINA NEEDS YOUR HELP Tar Heel fans are a loyal and generous group – especially those who give through The Rams Club. As we come together to meet the needs of our student-athletes and coaches in this challenging time, we ask you to consider giving in two important ways: 1. Complete your 2020 annual membership. 2. Make a new gift to the Carolina Victory Fund in addition to your annual gift. Your annual gift and a gift to the Carolina Victory Fund are unrestricted gifts – allowing Carolina to use the funds to address the most immediate needs of the program. With the significant budget shortfalls anticipated this year, unrestricted giving will give Carolina the best opportunity to preserve the level of academic and athletic excellence we all have grown to appreciate from UNC.
TO COMPLETE YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND MAKE A GIFT TO THE CAROLINA VICTORY FUND: • Log in to your account at ramsclub.com and use a credit card. • Contact us at ramsclub@ramsclub.com or 919-843-2000 to speak to a staff member.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT RAMSCLUB.COM/CVF.
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THE CROWD
NORTH CAROLINA
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BY PAT JAMES
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI
ROOM TO
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MARYLAND
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FEBRUARY 22, 2020 ATTENDANCE: 1,723
FEBRUARY 22, 2020
The women’s lacrosse program showed off a new stadium with a powerful win
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alking out of the indoor facility at the Bill Koman Practice Complex on the evening of Feb. 20, 2020, less than 48 hours from the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team’s rivalry game against Maryland, Scottie Rose Growney was unfazed by the snow falling around her. Like many northerners, the Berwyn, Pennsylvania, native found humor in how locals reacted to the two inches of snow that blanketed Chapel Hill. But even then, the closer the game got, the more concerned the then-junior became about its status. “To me, it was almost like a dusting, it wasn’t anything too intense,” said Growney of the snow. “But it all stayed, which is what was bad. So, I was like, ‘How are they going to get rid of it?’” All of Growney’s worrying, however, proved to be for naught, as overcast skies gave way to sunshine and a commanding 19-6 Tar Heel win – the defining moment in a season that was cut woefully short by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything just worked out so perfectly,” Growney said. “It ended up being such a perfect day.” The matchup between No. 1 UNC and No. 3 Maryland marked the 19th time in 20 meetings that both teams were ranked in the top five of the coaches poll. The only time they both weren’t was in 2018, when seventh-ranked Carolina scored 43 seconds into overtime to beat the top-ranked Terrapins. A year later, Maryland returned the favor, defeating the Tar Heels in double overtime to set the stage for their 2020 showdown. Playing in front of a crowd of 1,723 that was mostly comprised of girls competing in UNC’s 7-v-7 tournament and clinic the next day, UNC and Maryland exchanged blows throughout the first half, as they’re wont to do. But after entering halftime leading 7-4, Carolina took control with a 5-1 run over the first 13 minutes of the second half. The Terrapins eventually ended that spurt, scoring with 16:22 remaining to cut UNC’s lead to 12-6. That, however, was Maryland’s final goal. The Tar Heels finished the game on a 7-0 run, allowing them to do the inconceivable: force a running clock and empty their bench against the 15-time national champions. “I hate being subbed out, but that one of the best feelings, like, ‘OK, let’s get in our teammates against Maryland,’” said senior co-captain Katie Hoeg. “Who would have thought that would be the game where we were getting pulled? That was just a great feeling to see those teammates who pushed us so hard in practice get out on the field against traditionally our top competitor.” Carolina’s 19 goals marked its most in 41 all-time games against the Terrapins. The 13-goal margin of victory was also
its largest in the history of the rivalry, besting its 13-7 win in the 2016 national championship game. Afterward, the Tar Heels sat under the scoreboard for close to an hour and signed autographs for hundreds of young fans, many of whom had some sort of connection to a player. “There were a lot of girls there who I coached from home, and I think that was the same for a bunch of my teammates,” said Growney, whose six goals were the most by a Tar Heel against Maryland since 1999. “They had girls from clubs in North Carolina who they were coaching. … That’s such an incredible feeling knowing there are these little girls who look up to you and are supporting you and rooting for you. “It was such a perfect weekend, that’s the only way I can describe it.”
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FIRST PERSON
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‘We missed you’
There is no better feeling on game day than hearing cheering, the bright lights and that electric energy filling the crescendo of cheering fans as the team makes its way the air is an atmosphere that can’t be replicated anywhere out of the tunnel to take the field. To me, they are more else in the world and that is what’s needed again this than just an ecstatic crowd of people living vicariously year. I know the fans are just as excited as I am to be back through me and my teammates. They because not all were able to make it are an essential part of the game. to a game this previous season. They give us confidence to take on As a player, I recognize how much “As a player, I recognize how much any opponent and support us whether support a home crowd actually brings a game is in our favor or not. support a home crowd actually brings to the team and how important they The inclusion of the fans in a game to the team and how important they are in energizing us. The emotional is like adding another 50,000 plus factor they’ll bring back to the field are in energizing us. The emotional players to the team helping us win this year will make the season more factor they’ll bring back to the field games. Their help not only affected fun and entertaining for both the this year will make the season more players and the fans themselves. the team during the game but before and after too. From pregame, where The engagement with the fans is fun and entertaining for both the they encourage us as soon as we get also what I’m looking forward to this players and the fans themselves. off the bus, to postgame, when they upcoming season. Being able to share The engagement with the fans is are celebrating with us or picking us those feelings of unbridled joy with also what I’m looking forward to this our extended Tar Heel family is what up for next week. Unfortunately, in 2020 came the upcoming season. Being able to share makes the hard work worth it. coronavirus and social distancing. those feelings of unbridled joy with We were fortunate enough to have our extended Tar Heel family is what a season but what was missing was makes the hard work worth it.” our fans in the stadium due to health guidelines. Although it was slightly amusing, it was different coming out on the field to a stadium filled with cardboard cutouts of our fans and their pets. Without the fans, playing in Kenan Stadium just didn’t feel as homey as it should nor did it feel like we got the full game experience. I didn’t get that feeling of having a home field advantage. It almost felt like the stadium was a neutral site without any fans. We weren’t able to follow any of our regular routines like doing the Bell Tower Walk after arriving at the stadium, jumping into stands after warmups or being able to turn to the crowd to celebrate after a big win. TOMON FOX The in-game experiences were also different. There Football was no chanting for us to stop the opponent on a crucial Illustration by down nor did we hear the roar of the crowd after scoring Jason McCorkle a touchdown or getting a sack on third down. That special feeling of the game was missing without our adored fans. What I am looking forward to most in the 2021 season is being able to play in a packed stadium again. The loud
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CAROLINA INSIDER PODCAST HOSTED BY JONES ANGELL AND ADAM LUCAS
POWERED BY
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