North Carolina Tar Heels
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. The name Tar Heel
is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina
, the Tar Heel State. Being the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina
system, the campus at Chapel Hill is referred to as the University of North Carolina for the purposes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
. The Tar Heels are commonly referred to as Carolina, North Carolina, UNC, or simply The Heels.
The mascot of the Tar Heels is Rameses, a Bighorn Ram
. It is represented as either a live Dorset sheep with its horns painted Carolina Blue
, or as a costumed character performed by a volunteer from the student body, usually an undergraduate student associated with the cheer leading team.
North Carolina has won 37 team national championships in six different sports, eighth all-time, and 51 individual national championships.
UNC's two long-time arch-rivals are Duke
and NC State
, located in nearby Durham
and Raleigh
, respectively. Depending on the competitiveness of each squad, the main rival has been known to rotate between them. UNC and Duke square off annually in an all-sport competition known as the Carlyle Cup
.
The baseball team has had recent success, reaching the championship series of the College World Series
in 2006
and 2007
losing both times to Oregon State
. They also appeared in the College World Series in 1960
, 1966
, 1978
, 1989
, 2008
, 2009
, and 2011
.
North Carolina has enjoyed long success as one of the top basketball programs in the country. Overall, the Tar Heels have won five NCAA National Championships
and were retroactively awarded one by the Helms Foundation
.
Under coach Frank McGuire
, the team won its first NCAA championship in 1957. After McGuire left, legendary coach Dean Smith
established the team as a powerhouse in college basketball. In 31 years at North Carolina, Smith set the record for the most wins of any men's college basketball head coach, a record broken in 2007 by Bob Knight. Under Smith, the Tar Heels won two national championships and had numerous talented players come through the program. Smith is also credited with coming up with the four corners offense. More recently, the Tar Heels won the national championship in 2005 and 2009 under coach Roy Williams, and were runners-up in the men's 2010 National Invitation Tournament
.
Other national championship victories include the women's team handball team in 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011; and the men's handball team in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The men's crew won the 2004 ECAC National Invitational Collegiate Regatta in the varsity eight category. In 1994, North Carolina's athletic programs won the Sears Directors Cup which is awarded for cumulative performance in NCAA competition. At least three Carolina wrestlers have won NCAA titles, C.D. Mock, current head coach of the Tar Heels, Rob Koll
, now the head wrestling coach at Cornell, and T.J. Jaworsky.
North Carolina has won 39 national championships, 37 of which are from the NCAA. UNC women's soccer accounts for 21 of the 37 NCAA national championships, the largest number of championships by any team in any sport in NCAA history. The 37 NCAA Championships ranks eighth all time, behind only UCLA, Stanford, Southern California
, Oklahoma State, Arkansas
, LSU
, and Texas.
(*) Pre-NCAA tournament championship
(**) There was only one AIAW soccer tournament, thus making North Carolina the only women's soccer team to win an AIAW championship
North Carolina's most heated rivalries are with its Tobacco Road counterparts Duke
, North Carolina State
, and Wake Forest
. In recent years, the North Carolina-Duke basketball series has attracted the most attention. HBO even made a documentary in 2009 called "Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina". The Tar Heels also have a rivalry with Virginia
in college football, known as the South's Oldest Rivalry
. UNC and UVA are the two oldest schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
, "Hark The Sound
". Today, the song is almost always played immediately after the singing of "Hark The Sound", even during more formal occasions such as convocation
and commencement
. Just before home football and basketball games, the song is played by the Bell Tower near the center of campus, and is often played after major victories.
Lyrics
Rah, rah, rah! is rarely sung, except by older fans. From the 1970s through the early 1990s, it was usually replaced by "Go to hell State!"; N.C. State was UNC's major athletic rival in sports other than basketball for most of the 20th century. Since the early 1990s, it has usually been replaced with Go to hell, Duke!
As its title implies, it is most commonly played when a Tar Heel
team enters the field of play. Traditionally, the band plays a version of the traditional orchestral warmup tune before launching into the song when the first player charges out of the tunnel. During the warmup tune, fans stand and clap along. The effect is similar to that of a train coming down the track.
For many years at basketball games, the band played the first seven notes of the song in different keys during player introductions, modulating a half step each time before launching into the song in the normal key after the final player was announced.
The last part of the song's melody come from an old revival song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children".
Davie refers to William Richardson Davie
, Carolina's founder. The Well refers to The Old Well
, a campus landmark. NCU is an antiquated abbreviation for "North Carolina University."
from men's basketball
, Mia Hamm
from soccer, Charlie Justice from American football
, Davis Love III
from golf
, B.J. Surhoff
from baseball
and Marion Jones
from women's basketball and track & field.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. The name Tar Heel
Tar Heel
Tar Heel is a nickname applied to the state and inhabitants of North Carolina as well as the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans....
is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, the Tar Heel State. Being the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
system, the campus at Chapel Hill is referred to as the University of North Carolina for the purposes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. The Tar Heels are commonly referred to as Carolina, North Carolina, UNC, or simply The Heels.
The mascot of the Tar Heels is Rameses, a Bighorn Ram
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
. It is represented as either a live Dorset sheep with its horns painted Carolina Blue
Carolina blue
Carolina blue is the shade of blue used as one of the official school colors of the University of North Carolina. The name is derived from the popular usage of "Carolina" to refer to the university...
, or as a costumed character performed by a volunteer from the student body, usually an undergraduate student associated with the cheer leading team.
North Carolina has won 37 team national championships in six different sports, eighth all-time, and 51 individual national championships.
UNC's two long-time arch-rivals are Duke
Duke Blue Devils
Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry...
and NC State
NC State Wolfpack
The athletic teams of the North Carolina State University, known as the Wolfpack, compete in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports. NC State is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and has won eight national championships: two NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles...
, located in nearby Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
and Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, respectively. Depending on the competitiveness of each squad, the main rival has been known to rotate between them. UNC and Duke square off annually in an all-sport competition known as the Carlyle Cup
Carlyle Cup
The Carlyle Cup is a trophy contested annually by the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels. It is awarded to the school that has the most combined head-to-head wins against the other school in all of the shared varsity sports for that academic year...
.
Baseball
- Head Coach: Mike FoxMike Fox (baseball coach)-External links:*...
- Stadium: Bryson Field at Boshamer StadiumBoshamer StadiumBryson Field at Boshamer Stadium is a baseball stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is the home of the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team.- History :...
- ACC Championships: 5 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 2007)
- College World Series Appearances: 9 (1960, 1966, 1978, 1989, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
The baseball team has had recent success, reaching the championship series of the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
in 2006
2006 College World Series
The 2006 College World Series was held June 16-26 in Omaha, Nebraska; it was the 60th College World Series and the 57th series held in Omaha. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium...
and 2007
2007 College World Series
The 2007 College World Series was held from June 15–24, in Omaha, Nebraska. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met at Rosenblatt Stadium after having played their way through a 64-team bracket. This was the 61st College World Series overall, and the 58th to be held in Omaha.Oregon State...
losing both times to Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
. They also appeared in the College World Series in 1960
1960 College World Series
The 1960 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 10 to June 20. The fourteenth tournament's champion was the University of Minnesota, coached by Dick Siebert...
, 1966
1966 College World Series
The 1966 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 13 to June 18. The twentieth tournament's champion was Ohio State University, coached by Marty Karow...
, 1978
1978 College World Series
The 1978 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 2 to June 8. The thirty-second tournament's champion was the University of Southern California, coached by Rod Dedeaux...
, 1989
1989 College World Series
The 1989 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 2 to June 10. The forty-third tournament's champion was Wichita State University, coached by Gene Stephenson...
, 2008
2008 College World Series
The 2008 College World Series was held June 14 through June 25, in Omaha, Nebraska. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Rosenblatt Stadium...
, 2009
2009 College World Series
The 2009 College World Series began on June 13, and was held through June 24, 2009 in Omaha, Nebraska at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. As part of the 2009 collegiate baseball season, eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a 64-team bracket to crown a...
, and 2011
2011 College World Series
The 2011 College World Series began on June 18, 2011 and concluded on June 28 with the University of South Carolina defeating the University of Florida by a score of 5-2 in Omaha, Nebraska at TD Ameritrade Park. TD Ameritrade Park replaced Rosenblatt Stadium, which hosted the CWS from 1950–2010...
.
Men's Basketball
- Head Coach: Roy WilliamsRoy Williams (coach)Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
- Arena: Dean E. Smith Center
- Southern Conference Championships: 13 (Tournament: 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1945; Regular Season: 1935, 1938, 1941, 1944, 1946)
- ACC Championships: 45 (Tournament: 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008; Regular Season: 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
- Helms Foundation Championships: 1 (1924 (Undefeated))
- NCAA National Championships: 5 (1957 (undefeated), 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009)
- Final Four Appearances: 18 (1946, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009)
- Best Final Ranking: #1 (Associated Press: 1957, 1982, 1984, 1994, 1998, 2008, 2009; Coaches: 1957, 1982, 1984, 1993, 2005, 2009)
- ACC/National Players of the Year: 8 (Jack Cobb 1923-26, George Glamack 1938-41, Lennie Rosenbluth 1954-57, Phil Ford 1974-78, James Worthy 1979-82, Michael Jordan 1981-1984, Antawn Jamison 1995-98, Tyler Hansbrough 2005-09)
North Carolina has enjoyed long success as one of the top basketball programs in the country. Overall, the Tar Heels have won five NCAA National Championships
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
and were retroactively awarded one by the Helms Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
.
Under coach Frank McGuire
Frank McGuire
Frank Joseph McGuire was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate basketball....
, the team won its first NCAA championship in 1957. After McGuire left, legendary coach Dean Smith
Dean Smith
Dean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
established the team as a powerhouse in college basketball. In 31 years at North Carolina, Smith set the record for the most wins of any men's college basketball head coach, a record broken in 2007 by Bob Knight. Under Smith, the Tar Heels won two national championships and had numerous talented players come through the program. Smith is also credited with coming up with the four corners offense. More recently, the Tar Heels won the national championship in 2005 and 2009 under coach Roy Williams, and were runners-up in the men's 2010 National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
Women's basketball
- Head coach:
- Arena: Dean E. Smith Center
- ACC Championships:
- National Championships: 1 (1994)
Field Hockey
- Head Coach: Karen SheltonKaren SheltonKaren Christina Shelton is a former field hockey player from the United States, who was a member of the national team that won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She also represented her country on the US Olympic team in 1980.-Highlights:* U.S...
- Stadium: Henry StadiumHenry StadiumFrancis E. Henry Stadium is a multi-use stadium primarily used for field hockey located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on the campus of the University of North Carolina....
- ACC Championships: 16 (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2007)
- National Championships: 6 (1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009)
Football
- Head Coach: Everett WithersEverett Withers-External links:*...
- Stadium: Kenan Memorial Stadium
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships: 1 (1895)
- Southern Conference Championships: 5 (1922, 1934, 1946, 1949)
- ACC Championships: 5 (1963, 1971, 1972, 1977, 1980)
- Postseason Bowl Appearances: 28 (1947 Sugar, 1949 Sugar, 1950 Cotton, 1963 Gator, 1970 Peach, 1971 Gator, 1972 Sun, 1974 Sun, 1976 Peach, 1977 Liberty, 1979 Gator, 1980 Bluebonnet, 1981 Gator, 1982 Sun, 1983 Peach, 1986 Aloha, 1993 Peach, 1993 Gator, 1994 Sun, 1995 Carquest, 1997 Gator, 1998 Gator, 1998 Las Vegas, 2001 Peach, 2004 Continental Tire, 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl, 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl, 2010 Music City Bowl)
- Best Final Ranking: #3 (1948 Associated Press)
Men's Lacrosse
- Head coach: Joe Breschi
- Home fields: Fetzer FieldFetzer FieldFetzer Field is a 5,025-capacity stadium located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The stadium is home to the North Carolina Tar Heels men's and women's soccer teams as well as the men's lacrosse and track and field teams. It has also hosted the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship on several occasions...
and Kenan Memorial Stadium - ACC tournament championships: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996
- ACC regular season championships: 1981, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996
- NCAA tournamentNCAA Men's Lacrosse ChampionshipThe annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
appearances: 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - NCAA tournament championships: 1981, 1982, 1986, 1991
Men's Soccer
- Head Coach: Carlos Somoano
- Stadium: Fetzer FieldFetzer FieldFetzer Field is a 5,025-capacity stadium located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The stadium is home to the North Carolina Tar Heels men's and women's soccer teams as well as the men's lacrosse and track and field teams. It has also hosted the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship on several occasions...
- Prominant players that went professional,Derk Missimo,Chad Ashton,Nixo Nicholas Efthimiou,Allen Higgins,Eddie Pope.
- Where are they now: Derk Missimo,Chad Ashton,Nixo Nicholas Efthimiou,Allen Higgins,Eddie Pope.
- National Championships:
- College Cup Appearances: 1987,2008, 2009) [1st NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in 1987!]
Women's Soccer
- Head Coach: Anson DorranceAnson DorranceAnson Dorrance is the head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina. He has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics. Under Dorrance's leadership, the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 28 NCAA Women's Soccer Championships...
- Stadium: Fetzer FieldFetzer FieldFetzer Field is a 5,025-capacity stadium located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The stadium is home to the North Carolina Tar Heels men's and women's soccer teams as well as the men's lacrosse and track and field teams. It has also hosted the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship on several occasions...
- ACC Championships: 38 (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Tournament, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 Regular Season)
- National Championships: 21 (1981 AIAW, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 NCAA)
- College Cup Appearances: 25 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009) [The largest number of championships by any team in any sport in NCAA history!]
Other sports
Other national championship victories include the women's team handball team in 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011; and the men's handball team in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The men's crew won the 2004 ECAC National Invitational Collegiate Regatta in the varsity eight category. In 1994, North Carolina's athletic programs won the Sears Directors Cup which is awarded for cumulative performance in NCAA competition. At least three Carolina wrestlers have won NCAA titles, C.D. Mock, current head coach of the Tar Heels, Rob Koll
Rob Koll
Rob Koll is the David R. Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling at Cornell University. Koll has lead his team to five top-five finishes in the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament, including second place finishes in 2010 and 2011. The 2010 and 2011 finishes were the best ever for an Ivy League team...
, now the head wrestling coach at Cornell, and T.J. Jaworsky.
National championships
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Oklahoma State, Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, and Texas.
- Men's
- Basketball - 1924*, 19571957 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1957 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1957, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Kansas City, Missouri...
, 19821982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, 19931993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, 20052005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St...
, 2009 - Lacrosse - 1981, 1982, 1986, 1991
- Soccer - 2001
- Basketball - 1924*, 1957
- Women's
- Basketball - 19941994 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1994 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament featured 64 teams for the first time ever. The Final Four consisted of North Carolina, Purdue, Louisiana Tech, and Alabama, with North Carolina defeating Louisiana Tech 60-59 to win its first NCAA title on a 3 point shot by Charlotte Smith as...
- Field Hockey - 1985, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009
- Soccer - 1981**, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009
- Basketball - 1994
(*) Pre-NCAA tournament championship
(**) There was only one AIAW soccer tournament, thus making North Carolina the only women's soccer team to win an AIAW championship
AIAW Champions
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women’s athletics and to administer national championships...
Rivalries
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, North Carolina State
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
, and Wake Forest
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
. In recent years, the North Carolina-Duke basketball series has attracted the most attention. HBO even made a documentary in 2009 called "Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina". The Tar Heels also have a rivalry with Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in college football, known as the South's Oldest Rivalry
South's Oldest Rivalry
The South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia and the North Carolina Tar Heels football team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...
. UNC and UVA are the two oldest schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
I'm a Tar Heel Born
The best known UNC fight song is I'm a Tar Heel Born. It originated in the late 1920s as an add-on (or "tag") to the school's alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, "Hark The Sound
Hark The Sound
"Hark The Sound" is the alma mater of the University of North Carolina, written by William Starr Myers of the class of 1897. It is sung at the end of athletic events and other university gatherings, and is set to the music of "Annie Lisle"....
". Today, the song is almost always played immediately after the singing of "Hark The Sound", even during more formal occasions such as convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
and commencement
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
. Just before home football and basketball games, the song is played by the Bell Tower near the center of campus, and is often played after major victories.
Lyrics
I'm a Tar Heel born, I'm a Tar Heel bred.
And when I die, I'm a Tar Heel dead.
So it's rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah, rah, rah!
Rah, rah, rah! is rarely sung, except by older fans. From the 1970s through the early 1990s, it was usually replaced by "Go to hell State!"; N.C. State was UNC's major athletic rival in sports other than basketball for most of the 20th century. Since the early 1990s, it has usually been replaced with Go to hell, Duke!
Duke Blue Devils
Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry...
Here Comes Carolina
Another popular song is Here Comes Carolina.As its title implies, it is most commonly played when a Tar Heel
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State...
team enters the field of play. Traditionally, the band plays a version of the traditional orchestral warmup tune before launching into the song when the first player charges out of the tunnel. During the warmup tune, fans stand and clap along. The effect is similar to that of a train coming down the track.
For many years at basketball games, the band played the first seven notes of the song in different keys during player introductions, modulating a half step each time before launching into the song in the normal key after the final player was announced.
The last part of the song's melody come from an old revival song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children".
Lyrics
Here comes Car'lina-lina, here comes Car'lina-lina! We hail from NCU.
We've got the spirit in it, we've got the team to win it. We wear the colors white and blue.
So it's fight, fight, fight for Carolina, as Davie did in days of old.
As we gather 'round the Well, cheer that Tar Heel team like hell for the glory of NCU!
Davie refers to William Richardson Davie
William Richardson Davie
William Richardson Davie was a military officer and the tenth Governor of North Carolina from 1798 to 1799, as well as one of the most important men involved in the founding of the University of North Carolina...
, Carolina's founder. The Well refers to The Old Well
Old Well
The Old Well is a small, neoclassical rotunda located on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus at the southern end of McCorkle Place. The current decorative form of the Old Well was modeled after the Temple of Love in the Gardens of Versailles and was completed in 1897...
, a campus landmark. NCU is an antiquated abbreviation for "North Carolina University."
Notable alumni
Notable graduates from the athletic programs include Michael JordanMichael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
from men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
from soccer, Charlie Justice from American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Davis Love III
Davis Love III
Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
from golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, B.J. Surhoff
B.J. Surhoff
William James "B. J." Surhoff is a former catcher, outfielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter in Major League Baseball. Over his 18-year major league career, he played every position except pitcher...
from baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
from women's basketball and track & field.