April 2023 // Survey Says

T H E

ISSUE XXX

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

S U R V E Y S AY S

M E M B E R FAV O R I T E S

P.O. BOX 2446 | CHAPEL HILL, NC 27515 (919) 843-2000 | RAMSCLUB.COM @THERAMSCLUB

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR I have yelled at Eric Montross.

I am not proud to admit this.

That’s what happens when you grow up as a Carolina fan. There are moments when being a fan just takes over, and that’s why I am certain at some point I definitely yelled from the couch for big Eric to dunk it or block a shot or grab a rebound. I vividly remember sitting in the New Orleans Superdome stands in 1993 and watching Eric and the Tar Heels win the national title over Michigan, then high-fiving his father—a Michigan grad who was nevertheless waving his Carolina blue sports coat above his head in celebration—on the way out of the arena.

So it was more than a little surreal to sit next to Eric at that same New Orleans Superdome last April as we watched the Tar Heels take down Duke in the Final Four. As my relationship with Eric has evolved over those 30 years, I’ve learned much more about him than just his height (“6foot-12,” as he often tells strangers who ask), hometown (Indianapolis) and high school (Lawrence North, as any good Tar Heel fan of the early 1990’s remembers).

For Eric and his wife, Laura, basketball has always been a gateway to help other people. He’s incredibly competitive, of course. Anyone who saw the famous Bloody Montross game knows that. And the fire is still there; last year, before Carolina’s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Big Grits—the origin story is later in these pages for those who don’t know it—was so fired up that he greeted Jones Angell and me with a roar in the parking lot.

But step away from the court, and he’s entirely about other people. On the Carolina Insider podcast, we’ve been flooded with stories from Tar Heel fans about Eric’s kindness, and about the steps he took behind the scenes to show compassion for complete strangers. That’s why he received so many votes in so many categories (President Montross? I’d vote for him) in this issue, which is devoted to the results of a Rams Club member survey. So it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that he wants his cancer diagnosis to be a way for everyone else to benefit.

The Montross family has three requests for you. First, think of someone you know who, like Eric, is battling cancer.

Give that person a call or send them a text just to let them know you’re thinking about them. As the family has learned in recent months, those words make a difference.

Second, learn more about three of the Montross family’s favorite organizations: the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, the UNC AYA Cancer Program, and the Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp. If you find something that moves you, get involved with those groups either with your time or your finances or both.

And finally, take a moment to think about Eric, too. As he said in the wake of his diagnosis, “I am extraordinarily resolute that we’re going to beat this.” If you want to participate in that fight, visit tobaccoroadmedia.com and buy a Fight Cancer Big Grits magnet or sticker. Every dollar from the sale of those products goes to UNC AYA. It’s pretty simple: just do what you can to let Eric and others like him battling cancer know you’re thinking about them. But—take it from someone who knows—you probably shouldn’t yell at him.

Adam Lucas Editor in Chief

PRODUCED BY THE RAMS CLUB // EDITOR IN CHIEF ADAM LUCAS // CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LEE PACE & ANDREW STILWELL// PHOTOGRAPHY JEFFREY CAMARATI, J.D. LYON, JR., BOB DONNAN, ROBERT CRAWFORD & MAGGIE HOBSON // DESIGN JUJUBE SPORTS PUBLISHING

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&

“I do have a desire to be a coach -- after my career is over, of course. I want to play for many, many years.

After my career, I definitely see myself staying around the game that has brough me many blessings.”

— LEAKY BLACK, the leading vote-getter among current players in any sport in the Most Likely to Become a Coach category.

the

SURVEY SAYS edition

S U R V E Y S AY S

12 A Multi-Sport Menace

Julius Peppers could have been a star in football or basketball, and for a couple years at Carolina, he was both

BY LEE PACE

S U R V E Y S AY S

16 Mr. Everything

Even as his playing career reaches its closing stages, Marcus Paige remains one of the most popular Tar Heels

BY ADAM LUCAS

ON THE COVER: Even two decades later, Julius Peppers’ incredible skills on the football field and basketball court make him members’ favorite multi-sport Tar Heel.

COVER PHOTO:: UNC ATHLETICS // TOC PHOTOS: UNC ATHLETICS & JEFFREY CAMARATI

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BORN & BRED

24 EDITOR’S LETTER p. 3

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38

TAR HEEL TICKER p. 6

CAROLINA EVERYWEAR p. 30

S U R V E Y S AY S

24 Name that Tar Heel

We tracked down the origin stories behind some of the most popular nicknames in Tar Heel history

BY ADAM LUCAS

S U R V E Y S AY S

32 Tar Heel Traditions

Pregame destinations are as much a part of the Tar Heel experience as the games themselves

BY ANDREW STILWELL

FIRST PERSON

38 Double Duty

Playing two sports is a major time commitment, but it’s an experience Julia Dorsey cherishes

BY JULIA DORSEY

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TA R H E E LT I C K E R TA R H E E L T O P I C S

SURVEY RESULTS

For this issue, Rams Club members filled out a survey on a variety of Tar Heel topics. Those responses form the basis of the stories you’ll read in the rest of this issue. The answers that didn’t turn into features can be found in the next few pages along with some reactions from some of your favorite Tar Heels. All responses are in order of votes received.

Photos by Jeffrey Camarati

SURVEY

SAYS

6

BORN & BRED

FAVORITE CAROLINA SPORTS VENUE

SMITH CENTER

1

KENAN STADIUM

2

CARMICHAEL ARENA

3

BOSHAMER STADIUM

4

DORRANCE FIELD

5

SURVEY

SAYS MOST LIKELY TO BECOME PRESIDENT

FAVORITE CAROLINA SPORTS MOMENT

MARCUS PAIGE

1

2022 Final Four win over Duke

1

LUKE MAYE

2

1982 NCAA basketball title

2

ERIC MONTROSS

3

2012 Gio Bernard punt return vs NC State

3

DRAKE MAYE

4

1974 comeback win over Duke

4

MICHAEL JORDAN

5

2017 NCAA basketball title

5

“

“I DON’T LIKE POLITICS, FOLLOW THEM, OR KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM. BUT I THINK THE STRENGTHS OF A PAIGE/MAYE TICKET WOULD BE PASSION AND LOYALTY TO OUR PARTY. WE’D DEFINITELY HAVE A WINNING MINDSET IN ALL OF OUR AFFAIRS. MARCUS WOULD BE A GREAT PRESIDENT!” -LUKE MAYE ramsclub.com

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TA R H E E LT I C K E R MOST LIKELY TO APPEAR ON A REALITY SHOW ARMANDO BACOT

1

“

“I’D BE ON ‘KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS.’ BECAUSE THAT MEANS I’D BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH AN ICONIC FIGURE.” -ARMANDO BACOT

THEO PINSON

2

RICK FOX

3

TYLER HANSBROUGH

4

RASHAD MCCANTS

5

SURVEY

SAYS

8

BORN & BRED

“

“I DEFINE MY STYLE AS SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE. I BELIEVE YOU CAN STAND OUT BY KEEPING THE STYLE SIMPLE, MATCHING THE COLORS IN A COMPLEMENTARY WAY, AND HAVING A PIECE THAT POPS SUBTLY. ALSO, LISTENING TO MY WIFE HAS BEEN MONUMENTAL IN ADDING COLOR TO MY WARDROBE. “TO CATCH COACH WILLIAMS AND MJ, I WILL NEED TO HAVE A LOT MORE MONEY IN MY POCKET!” -JOEL BERRY

BEST DRESSED MICHAEL JORDAN

1

ROY WILLIAMS

2

JERRY STACKHOUSE

3

LARRY BROWN

4

ANTAWN JAMISON, JOEL BERRY II, KENNY SMITH (TIE)

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TA R H E E LT I C K E R MOST LIKELY TO BE YOUR BOSS MARCUS PAIGE

1

GEORGE LYNCH

2

MICHAEL JORDAN

3

ERIN MATSON

4

SAM HOWELL

5

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“MY LEADERSHIP STYLE WAS SIMPLE. I BELIEVE ALL LEADERS SHOULDN’T ASK FROM OTHERS WHAT THEY WOULDN’T DO THEMSELVES. I ALWAYS WANTED TO EMPOWER MY TEAMMATES TO BE THEIR BEST VERSION OF THEMSELVES.”

TA R H E E L T O P I C S

QUOTABLE COACHES

A survey of our members makes up the backbone of this issue. But we also asked a few questions to Tar Heel head coaches, and received some very entertaining answers:

Who would be the most fun coach to take on a recruiting trip?

MACK BROWN

“I love his straightforward approach with recruits and parents. His shoe game is like no other and his post game dance is legendary.

After the prospect commits, I’d dance with him!”

—Joe Breschi, Men’s Lacrosse

-GEORGE LYNCH

FAVORITE ACC TOURNAMENT SITE GREENSBORO

1

CHARLOTTE

2

WASHINGTON, D.C.

3

Who is the most quotable coach at Carolina?

LARRY GALLO

“Larry Gallo. He used to be a coach and no one has ‘em like he does. ‘Tell your guys to be like boiled ham: always ready!’”

—Scott Forbes, Baseball

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TA R H E E LT I C K E R

Which coach would be the best fit on a reality show?

SAM PAUL & DANNA DURANTE

“Sam Paul (Men’s Tennis) would be great on Practical Jokers. He will do anything!”

—Jenny Levy, Women’s Lacrosse “Danna Durante (Gymnastics). She is small in stature but she’s smart, tough and competitive.

She will find a way to win.”

—Mike Schall, Volleyball

Which Tar Heel coach has the best shoe game?

HUBERT DAVIS

“Hubert Davis is always sharp with the shoe game. Classy without going over the top.”

—Mike Schall, Volleyball

Who is the best dressed Tar Heel coach?

ANSON DORRANCE & ANDREW DIBITETTO

“Anson Dorrance. He is the only guy I know who can wear a hat with a sport coat and look like a bossman.”

—Scott Forbes, Baseball “Andrew DiBitetto. The golf gear he wears is spectacular.”

—Brian Kalbas, Women’s Tennis “I literally have no clue how I won this. Maybe poor judgment on everyone else’s part? My wife’s background is in fashion and costume. Coming out of grad school, she was a costume designer in Washington, D.C., at places like Ford’s Theatre and the Kennedy Center. She always tells me she can’t stand it because I always either wear a Carolina blue, navy or white golf shirt, or a Carolina blue hoodie. She would say the voters have exceptionally low standards.

“I would vote for Jenny Levy. I always feel like she has the most athletic, trendy looking stuff.

She always looks and dresses very youthful and energetic.”

—Andrew DiBitetto, Men’s Golf

10 B O R N & B R E D

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SURVEY SAYS JULIUS PEPPERS COULD HAVE BEEN A STAR IN FOOTBALL OR BASKETBALL, AND FOR A COUPLE YEARS AT CAROLINA,

HE WAS BOTH

A MULTI-SPORT MENACE

BY LEE PACE PHOTOS BY UNC ATHLETICS, ROBERT CRAWFORD & J.D. LYON, JR.

I

n your pantheon of great Julius Peppers moments while wearing the Carolina blue and traipsing across the grass or hardwood, which ones loom largest?

Was it Peppers plucking a tipped ball out of the air at Duke in 2000, galloping 27 yards to a touchdown and diving across the goal-line with a flourish? Was it big No. 49 shucking two blockers at Clemson in 2001, leaping to deflect a Woodrow Dantzler pass and then cradling the ball as he fell to the ground?

Was it any number of times he spun a left tackle like a top en route to the quarterback or even pushed the tackle into the quarterback while knocking both to the turf?

In the wintertime was it Peppers in his third basketball game as a Tar Heel early in the 1999 season at Buffalo with an acrobatic dunk that was featured on ESPN’s Sports Center and had the entire team guffawing watching the snippet later on the team bus? Or at Georgia Tech, when he took off from the corner, caught a lob thrown behind him, arched his back, caught the ball and threw down a thunderdunk? Or that six-rebound, two-blocks, great-defense game against an athletic Tennessee team in the 2000 Sweet 16 en route to the Final Four? Or an 18-point performance against Maryland the next year on sevenof-10 shooting with fellow frontcourt mate Kris Lang out with an injury?

Tough choice, for sure.

Basketball was his first love.

Football was his business decision.

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BORN & BRED

A MULTI-SPORT MENACE It all turned out quite well for Peppers, who dazzled Tar Heel fans and the ACC with his exploits in the football and basketball arenas from 1999-2001 and then went on to a lengthy career in the NFL and a certain berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (he’s eligible beginning in 2024).

“He really liked basketball the most,” says Mack Brown, who recruited Peppers out of Southern Nash High in the mid-1990s and got a commitment before he left for Texas after the 1997 season. “I told him football was his future, it was his best sport.

I said, ‘We’ll let you play basketball, go enjoy it, but here’s where you’ll make your money.’”

Brown pauses and smiles, knowing that Peppers banked some $160 million in career earnings.

“He owes me,” he says.

Peppers grew up in Bailey, N.C., a small town located halfway between Zebulon and Wilson in Nash County. He was a threesport star and drew national recruiting interest over his eyepopping numbers and freakish athletic ability that allowed him to do backflips the entire length of a football field for 100 yards in full pads and helmet. Young Julius was nicknamed “Big Head” by his buddies because of the XXX-size hats and caps he wore, and he stuffed his feet into track shoes two sizes too small because the 18s that fit him were not available (he was second in the triple jump in the state track meet anyway).

Peppers committed to Carolina during the summer of 1997 leading into his senior season, but he continued to draw recruiting pitches from Tennessee, Nebraska, Penn State, Virginia and Florida State, among others, as he wrapped up a career that saw him rush for 3,500 yards and 46 touchdowns while playing end on defense.

“When we went to see him play, he was so much bigger than everybody, he just ran through everybody,” Brown remembers. “He could be a running back. Then he wanted to be either a defensive end or a tight end. We thought he could be a freak on defense.”

“He’s hard to tackle,” Southern Nash coach Ray Davis said. “It looks like ants crawling on his back sometimes.”

Peppers wavered momentarily after Brown departed for Texas in early December 1997, but after Carl Torbush was appointed Brown’s successor, Torbush’s first phone call after the introductory press conference was to Peppers. Torbush reiterated that Peppers could play basketball for the Tar Heels and that he was keeping on his staff Donnie Thompson, who led Peppers’ recruiting and was the defensive ends coach.

“I just realized one of my dreams,” Torbush said. “Julius, I hope you’ll still come to Carolina and pursue yours.”

Part of the reason Peppers liked Carolina was the fact that both coaching staffs were willing to give him a shot at both sports.

“My passion was basketball,” Peppers said. “Part of the story is that I had to be somewhat convinced to try out for the football

SURVEY

SAYS

WE ASKED RAMS CLUB MEMBERS TO TELL US THEIR FAVORITE MULTI-SPORT CAROLINA ATHLETE. THE LEADING VOTE-GETTERS WERE: JULIUS PEPPERS

1

DANNY TALBOTT

2

ALBERT LONG

3

RONALD CURRY

4

JULIA DORSEY

5

team in high school. So, when I had the opportunity to come take the football scholarship and try out for the basketball team, it was something that I couldn’t pass up.”

“I know he’s going to Carolina primarily for football, but you saw tonight he’s the prototype Carolina basketball player,” Southern Nash basketball coach Rick Ruffin said after a typical Peppers performance of alley-oops, 3-pointers and follow-shots. “You saw how unselfish he is, how athletic he is. He’s just a great athlete.

And he’s a finer person. Carolina’s got itself an outstanding young man.”

As a redshirt freshman, Peppers started 11 games at end and led the team in tackles-for-losses with 10 and sacks with six. As a sophomore, he earned first-team All-ACC honors and led the nation with 15 sacks, one short of Lawrence Taylor’s record set in 1980.

Throughout his first year at Carolina, Peppers joined other football players in pick-up basketball games in Woollen Gym, sometimes joined by basketball players like Ed Cota. Cota raved

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SURVEY SAYS

to head coach Bill Guthridge about Peppers’ prospects as a basketball player.

“Ed really sold Coach Guthridge on what a good basketball player Julius could be,” says Pat Sullivan, a young assistant coach at the time who’s now on Hubert Davis’s staff. “I’m not sure how sold Coach Guthridge was on the idea. But he trusted Ed. Ed was persistent. He recognized the talent.”

As soon as the 1999 football season ended, Peppers moved to the Smith Center and joined a team led by Cota and 7-footer Brendan Haywood.

Sullivan remembers an early practice when Peppers wrenched his ankle, gritted his teeth and waved off a suggestion he take a break.

“I was thinking this is the kind of toughness we need,” Sullivan says. “He brought a different element, some football mentality.

During that 2000 run to the Final Four, we beat Missouri and Stanford, two rough and tumble teams. We became sort of that rough and tumble team, not just that typical free flowing Carolina

“

team. We got down in the mud a little, and I credit Julius with helping with that.”

In those early days, Sullivan stayed late after practice with Peppers to help him learn the sets and play calls.

He knew what a gifted athlete Peppers was but was surprised at the nuances he brought to the court.

“Julius was a really skilled player,” Sullivan says. “You could see the rebounds and dunks and running the floor, but he had great touch. He could do anything. He was on a fast track and he picked it all up, very quickly. His total IQ for sports and basketball was amazing.”

Peppers was a key part of the rotation on the team that went to the Final Four. As the sixth man, he averaged 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds.

“Julius was a godsend, the missing piece for us,” Guthridge said.

“I hate to think how that season might have ended without him.”

Ronald Curry, another two-sport phenomenon who played quarterback on the football team, joined the basketball squad the

“MY PASSION WAS BASKETBALL. PART OF THE STORY IS THAT I HAD TO BE SOMEWHAT CONVINCED TO TRY OUT FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM IN HIGH SCHOOL. SO, WHEN I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TAKE THE FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP AND TRY OUT FOR THE BASKETBALL TEAM, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I COULDN’T PASS UP.”

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BORN & BRED

A MULTI-SPORT MENACE next year, and the Tar Heels won 15 games in a row early and were No. 1. But they lost to Penn State in the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament with Peppers hitting 21 points and 10 rebounds.

“I’ll tell you this, I do believe if Pep would’ve just focused on basketball, he could’ve played in the NBA,” Matt Doherty said. “He had a feel for the game. He wasn’t just a rebounder or banger. He could pass the ball, make the 15-18 foot shot and had soft hands.”

“Julius is a freak of nature,” Curry told Sports Illustrated.

“The best compliment you can give him is he’s such a natural at both sports that when he’s playing one, you forget he’s just as good at the other.”

After the 2000-01 basketball season, Peppers made the decision to spend his junior season—which would be his fourth and last as a Tar Heel—concentrating on football.

“I’ll miss basketball, but I think I’ll be a much better football player now that I’m training for it like a normal player,” he said. “I still believe that if I committed to basketball, I could make an impact in the NBA. But my coaches say that in football I could be another Lawrence Taylor or Jevon Kearse. I now see football as my job and my greatest challenge.”

Playing alongside Ryan Sims on the front line, Peppers had an outstanding senior year. He was first on the team in interceptions with three, in tackles-for-loss with 19 and sacks with 9.5 sacks. His only blemish was being essentially a non-factor in Carolina’s game at Texas—just one deflected pass in the stat line for Peppers as the Longhorns whipped the Tar Heels, 44-14.

That’s because Brown, then in his fourth season leading the Longhorns, and offensive coordinator Greg Davis refused to let the opponent’s best player beat them. They schemed their offense so that on every play, Peppers was blocked by the tackle opposite him as well as one more player, sometimes two.

“We double-teamed him every play,” Brown says. “It took two players, but we kept him out of it. Sometimes with the great ones, if you discourage them early they get frustrated. They’re used to making plays, and they lose their edge if you take them out of it. If you let them get started, you’ve got yourself a mess.”

As NFL teams soon found out, however, there were very few successful ways to consistently gameplan to stop Peppers. His 159.5 pro sacks rank fourth all-time.

His NBA productivity is left to the imagination – and to the memories of Tar Heel teammates who remember Peppers as one of the most impactful two-way athletes in Carolina history.

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BORN & BRED

MR. EVERYTHING

MR.

EVERYTHING Even as his playing career reaches its closing stages, Marcus Paige remains one of the most popular Tar Heels

BY ADAM LUCAS

PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI & J.D. LYON, JR.

C

arolina fans love Marcus Paige.

That’s one of the overwhelming takeaways from the Rams Club’s recent member survey, which saw Paige bring in more votes across multiple categories than any other individual Tar Heel.

Members had Paige as the runaway winner in “Most likely to be President.” He was the clear pick in “Most likely to be your boss.”

He was the easy first place selection for “Most likely to be a coach.”

But one of the most unique parts about the way fans adore Paige — and perhaps what makes him even more endearing — is he received exactly zero votes for top male athlete.

That was a category dominated by the athletic marvels like Michael Jordan, Tyler Hansbrough and Julius Peppers.

We have never been particularly awed by him. He did not jump the highest or hang in the air the longest (except for that unforgettable shot against Villanova in 2016, which was the only moment to get multiple votes in “Favorite Carolina sports moment” in which the Tar Heels did not actually win the game in question). His senior year, he probably wasn’t the best player in his apartment; his roommate, Brice Johnson, had a dominant final season at Carolina. But there has always been that general sense that, if we could be a Tar Heel, we would probably try to do it like Marcus Paige did it.

It is jarring to realize that Paige enrolled at Carolina over a decade ago. He turns 30 this year—yes, Marcus Paige is about to be 30 years old—and repeated shoulder injuries have him asking tough questions about the lifespan of his professional basketball career.

A season in Europe can feel even longer than a season in America, and Paige has played six of them abroad.

There’s the basketball, of course. Paige’s time on the hardwood has been complicated by repeated shoulder injuries, the most recent of which happened this season, when he was playing in Spain. But there are also the cultural adjustments. Paige and his wife—Taylor, a former member of the Tar Heel dance team—got married at 24 years old. That means in addition to all the other newlywed adjustments and just out of college adjustments, they’ve also had to do it all while living in a foreign country and speaking very little of whatever the local language might be.

There have been welcome breaks, including catching up with other Tar Heels living the overseas basketball lifestyle. Paige played against Luke Maye in Spain this year, and has connected with Brice Johnson, Isaiah Hicks, and James Michael McAdoo. He even found that, despite the time difference, Carolina game days often became an important part of the routine.

“I always thought that once the freshmen from my team graduated, I wouldn’t watch as much. But then the Covid year, the games were starting at 3 a.m. my time, there was no one in the gym, and I was completely locked in. They would lose games on a buzzer beater and I would go crazy. That’s when I realized I’m never going away from Carolina. Six years later, I’m still texting my former teammates and B-Rob (Brandon Robinson) about the games. I’m just as into it as I was ten years ago.”

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BORN & BRED

MR. EVERYTHING But those Tar Heel game breaks are usually the exception rather than the rule. There’s a reason why Carolina alums playing abroad prize those games so highly; it’s a slice of normalcy in a life that is very different from the one they knew at home.

“The best way to live life like this is to throw yourself into it and embrace it,” he says. “There’s a lot of down time. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to be back home, and missing holidays and weddings and birthdays. If you don’t throw yourself into the culture, you’re basically going to be depressed, and there have been moments I have felt that way.

“The moments I have been happiest is when I try new places or new food with Taylor or we go out with teammates.

The interactions with the people are what make it special. Now I have friends who speak all these different languages and live all around the world and I will always be able to call on them and can call them real friends. If you apply that philosophy, you will have a blast. But there is a certain fatigue with playing overseas. At some point, you miss being home in the big picture. I’ve always known I’m not going to be a 19 years overseas guy.”

His timeline may have been changed by his most recent shoulder injury. That one came with surgery and a six-month recovery timeline. He returned to Chapel Hill to have surgery, and then his team allowed him to spend several weeks of the rehabilitation process in the United States.

That gave him plenty of time to spend in Chapel Hill during a month of the 2022-23 basketball season, when he was a regular around the Tar Heel basketball office and was a frequent practice attendee. He even sat next to Roy Williams at a Carolina home game, a very different perspective than Paige received when he was on the court playing for the Hall of Famer.

“

“MAYBE I’LL FOLLOW IN THE FAMILY FOOTSTEPS AND TRY TO GET A COACHING GIG. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AROUND COACH DAVIS AND THE STAFF THIS YEAR TRYING TO GET A FEEL FOR THE INS AND OUTS OF WHAT COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACHING LOOKS LIKE. IT WAS BASICALLY A MINI JOB SHADOW.”

THE FAMILY

Playing overseas has given Paige an even greater appreciation for the Carolina Family.

“Part of what makes this special is there’s that element of, ‘I don’t care if you ever make another shot for me,’” he says. “Do it to the best of your ability, give me your all, go to class, be a good person in the community, and you’re always going to have a spot and a person you can lean on. You can talk about the Carolina Family a million times, but until you interact with it and see it and experience it, you won’t understand it.” ramsclub.com 19

SURVEY SAYS “I’ve always had people tell me I’d be good doing TV or radio or something where I’m speaking or interacting with the camera,” Paige said. “But I’m too in love with the game to not be hands-on. I’ve felt myself being more attracted to trying to be a coach. Both my parents coach high school basketball, and my sister is an assistant coach at Kansas. Every day she tells me how much she loves it.

“So maybe I’ll follow in the family footsteps and try to get a coaching gig. I spent a lot of time around Coach Davis and the staff this year trying to get a feel for the ins and outs of what college basketball coaching looks like. It was basically a mini job shadow.”

If and when he makes a move into coaching, he’ll bring with him a 360-degree perspective that goes far beyond basketball. Strictly on the court, he now possesses a much more diverse hoops education.

“Basketball is so global now,” Paige says. “As a basketball junkie, seeing all the different styles as we’ve traveled the world is amazing.

I played for one of the best coaches in Europe when I was in Serbia, and I got to understand the game from his perspective. I went to Spain and saw how they use different tactics and see the game differently. I went to France. I was exposed to so many different ways to see the game, and it’s helped me a lot.”

And off the court, his time away from Chapel Hill and personal maturation—for a person who was already incredibly mature even when he arrived as a freshman—means he has a much more advanced understanding of what college basketball players are experiencing.

Recall that Paige’s time in Chapel Hill ran concurrently with some of the most turbulent times in the history of Carolina athletics, with investigations and constant questions about the department’s academic standards. Paige wasn’t even in high school when most of the events in question happened. But as the flagship Tar Heel athlete during the investigation, he became the constant spokesman even on issues he didn’t fully understand.

“I was doing every interview and talking about things I didn’t really know about,” he says. “It was a lot. If I could do it again, I would have taken better care of myself on the inside. I would have seen a sports psychologist or a therapist. Therapy wasn’t the same ten or 15 years ago as it is now. I would’ve processed it better.

“It wasn’t until I was removed from it for several years that I realized I was carrying a big burden. It can affect you in ways that surface in other areas of life. In college, there were times I wasn’t making time for the people who are important, because I was exhausted. I didn’t want to have to exert myself and talk about how frustrated I really was with something.

You only have so much in your emotional tank as a 21-year-old. You also have exams and essays to write. I put so much into all of that that I was empty for other aspects of my life. As a 29-year-old, I understand that a lot more. At the time, I didn’t realize I had an empty emotional tank. I was just tired. As you get older, you get wiser, and I apply that to my life now.”

Spoken just like someone who—as Tar Heel fans predicted—could easily be a coach one day. Or, perhaps, your boss. Or maybe the President.

20 B O R N & B R E D

TRAVEL TIPS

After a season in the G League, Paige’s professional basketball career has taken him across Europe. So where is the destination he most recommends?

“Belgrade,” he says. “It’s not a tourist destination, but it’s an incredible city. It’s the best food I’ve ever had, the people are nice, and the basketball is amazing.”

Runners-up include Valencia in Spain and the one season he spent playing for Orleans in France. “It was a 45-minute train ride from Paris,” he says. “So every off day we’d just hop on the train and go to Paris. That’s something I will tell my kids about.”

ramsclub.com 21

The Campaign for Carolina Athletics succeeded because Rams Club members like you champion our student-athletes every day – by meeting immediate needs and securing the long-term future – all so Tar Heel student-athletes can know what it means to be a Tar Heel.

The Campaign closed on December 31, 2022 – and the numbers show how much you believe in our student-athletes.

Thank you for providing them the opportunities to gain a life-changing Carolina education while competing at the highest level of collegiate sports and playing for the best coaches in the best facilities in all 28 of our varsity sports.

32,918

T O TA L DO N O R S

A NN U A L F UN D M EM B ER S H I P TOTAL MEMBERS MEMBER TOTAL AS OF DEC. 31, 2022

19,350

ALUMNI

IN STATE

53%

79% OUT OF STATE

21%

NON ALUMS

47%

SCH O L A R S H I P EN D O W M EN T

1,047

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO

583

STUDENT-ATHLETES IN 2022-23

NEW SCHOLARSHIPS ENDOWED IN CAMPAIGN

TOTAL GRADUATES SINCE START OF CAMPAIGN

190

1,200

FA CI L I T Y P R O J EC T S

16

FACILITIES FUNDED

22

TEAMS IMPACTED

TE A M S UP P O R T

12

TEAMS NOW WITH OVER $1M IN THEIR ENDOWMENT

ALL 28

CAROLINA PROGRAMS RECEIVED DIRECT GIFTS

NAME THAT TAR HEEL

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI, BOB DONNAN, & UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

RAMS CLUB MEMBERS IDENTIFIED SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE NICKNAMES IN TAR HEEL ATHLETIC HISTORY. THESE ARE THE STORIES BEHIND THOSE NAMES. 24 B O R N & B R E D

NAME THAT TAR HEEL

BILLY CUNNINGHAM: “THE KANGAROO KID” “No one came to me and said, ‘What do you think about this?’ Bob Quincy was the public relations man at Carolina when I was there, and all of a sudden that nickname was placed on me. It went on for quite a bit. Periodically, I still run into people who refer to me in that manner.”

One of the most iconic photos from that era is Cunningham in front of the Bell Tower, holding a stuffed kangaroo. Even more than 60 years later, he grins begrudgingly when asked about it. “It was definitely a strange one,” he says. “I was young and obedient.”

LEAKY BLACK

“It came from my middle name, Malik. It started out as something my Aunt Conda and Grandma called me when I was younger growing up in Mount Pleasant, N.C. All of my cousins and I had a nickname, and that was mine. It just stuck.”

KAIMON RUCKER: “RUCK THE BUTCHER” “It happened when I made my first start during my freshman year. I made a tackle against Boston College and the ESPN announcers were talking about me. Coach Cross said I was as aggressive as a bowling ball of butcher knives. The next thing I know, it caught on fire.

“But we know we couldn’t say the whole thing every time,

because it was too long. My dad and I talked about it, and we decided to shorten it to The Butcher. We incorporated half of my last name and smashed it together, and that’s Ruck the Butcher. It really started to spread around the middle of my sophomore year.”

TYLER “PSYCHO T” HANSBROUGH One of the most popular—and perfectly descriptive— nicknames in Tar Heel history was born in the Smith Center weight room. That’s where an otherwise quiet freshman named Tyler Hansbrough displayed the ferocity that would eventually make him Carolina’s all-time leading scorer.

“Those workouts from Jonas are tough,” Hansbrough said. “To get through a workout and to motivate myself,

I was screaming at myself. That’s when Jonas started calling me ‘Psycho T.’ He said, ‘You’re psycho. You don’t talk at all and then you come in here and start yelling.’”

But Sahratian has nuanced taste in nicknames. His own creation, Psycho T, eventually became so mainstream that he ditched it and more frequently calls Hansbrough “T-Bone,” which was the big man’s nickname back home in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. ramsclub.com 25

SURVEY SAYS

CHARLIE “CHOO CHOO” JUSTICE Born in Asheville, Charlie Justice was a dynamic high school player who averaged 25 yards per rush during his senior season at Lee H. Edwards High. But it wasn’t until he spent four years in the Navy that he acquired his nickname.

While watching him play for the football team at the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, an officer remarked to a reporter, “He runs like a runaway train. We should call him, ‘Choo Choo.’”

Justice went to Carolina on the GI Bill and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1948 and 1949. His tenure as a Tar Heel, 1946-49, eventually became known as the Justice Era, as the Tar Heels made two Sugar Bowls and a Cotton Bowl during his career.

The nickname became a part of the American lexicon—Justice appeared on the cover of Life magazine as a Tar Heel—when Johnny Long recorded the song, “All the way, Choo Choo.”

KENNY “THE JET” SMITH The lightning-fast Tar Heel point guard is one of the few nickname recipients who actually had his moniker before he arrived in Chapel Hill. As a point guard at the legendary Archbishop Molloy High in Queens, Smith was one of the most sought-after prep recruits in the country. Even before he earned a slot in the McDonald’s All-America Game in

WALTER “SWEET D” DAVIS

Unlike Smith, Davis earned his nickname after arriving in Chapel Hill. “My teammates at North Carolina started Sweet D,” Davis said.

ERIC “BIG GRITS” MONTROSS

Luke Maye’s regional-clinching jumper wasn’t the only historic event that happened on the weekend of March 26, 2017. It was that same weekend that Eric Montross was bestowed with the nickname, “Big Grits.”

Montross was part of a group of program staff that went to breakfast at the Blue Plate Diner in Memphis while the Tar Heels were in town for the regional. On this particular day, the seven-footer placed a breakfast order for grits. But then he specified that he wanted “big grits.”

No one is quite sure what the Hoosier State native meant by that order—perhaps he just wanted a large order of grits.

But his word choice was the source of much hilarity for the 26 B O R N & B R E D

April of 1983, a New York sportswriter—exactly who has been lost to history—had seen Smith play a high school game and wrote that he raced up the court “like a jet.”

The reference stuck, and Smith was already “The Jet” by the time he enrolled at Carolina.

It was fitting, because Davis’ smooth style of play made him one of the best players in Tar Heel history. His 1,863 career points remains tenth all-time at Carolina.

group’s waitress, whose name was Katrina. She and Eric had some good-natured back and forth over the remainder of the meal.

When the group was leaving, though, Katrina made the comment that would cement her legend forever. As Eric approached the cash register, Katrina stuck her head out of the kitchen in the back of the restaurant and shouted, “See ya later, Big Grits!” across the Blue Plate Diner.

Like day-old grits on the bottom of a pot, it stuck instantly.

It has become a signature phrase on the Carolina Insider podcast and Montross is now regularly greeted with, “Hey, Big Grits!” by Tar Heel fans.

NAME THAT TAR HEEL

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SURVEY SAYS

MICHAEL “AIR” JORDAN The 2023 movie “Air,” a fact-based drama, casts some light on the origin of the Air nickname. As has been well documented, longtime Carolina sports information director Rick Brewer was instrumental in referring to Jordan as Michael instead of Mike while the Wilmington native was playing for the Tar Heels.

But it wasn’t until Jordan became a professional that he became Air Jordan. “When Michael was coming out of NC in 1984, the very first deal we had to make, even before his Bulls deal, was a shoe deal,” said Jordan’s longtime agent, David Falk, in a 2020 interview. “Michael wanted to go with Adidas. I thought Nike could do the best job for him. Michael told me he didn’t want to go. He literally wouldn’t agree to go on the plane. But his parents forced him to go on the plane and we had a great meeting.

“We had a follow-up meeting in Washington with (Nike executive) Rob Strasser and a guy named Peter Moore. I 28 B O R N & B R E D

told Rob if he really wanted to sign Michael, he had to treat him like a tennis player and create a brand around him of shoes and clothing. Strasser says, ‘We might consider giving him his own line of shoes and clothes. What do you want to call the line?’ I looked at him like he was brain dead and said, ‘I want to call it Michael Jordan.’ He felt Michael had no credibility as a 21-year-old basketball player to suggest that he was a designer of his own line.

He said, ‘We may be willing to do it, but you have to come up with a name. And it cannot be Michael Jordan.’

“It came to me in less than a minute. I said, ‘OK, we’re going to call it Air Jordan.’ And he said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because Nike’s just developed these new running shoes that have Air technology that is supposed to cushion your feet and it’s a double entendre in the way Michael plays basketball—in the air.’ In five minutes, Peter Moore sketched the very first Air Jordan logo which was the basketball with the wings on it. And the rest is history.”

ramsclub.com 29

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C A R O L I N A E V E R YWE A R Rams Club members like to wear their Carolina Blue, and they’ll wear it all over the US and the world. If you have a photo of you in your Carolina gear in front of notable landmarks in the US and abroad, send them our way to be a part of Carolina EveryWear!

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30 B O R N & B R E D

9

To have your photo included: -Send your photo digitally to bornandbred@ramsclub.com.

-Identify everyone in your photo and the location of the photo.

Here are the “Rules”: -At least one person in the photo has to be a Rams Club member -You must be wearing Carolina gear -You must be in front of a notable landmark (sorry, as cool as Kenan Stadium and the Smith Center are, they don’t qualify).

SHOW US YOUR COLORS!

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1) Paul & Randy Gardner of Chapel Hill at the D-Day beaches - Pointe Du Hoc, Normandy, France; 2) Laura Dickey of Wilmington, NC, at the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro; 3) Barbara Roberts of Burlington, NC, at the Parthenon in Athens, Greece; 4) Rufus & Toni Langley of Apex, NC, at the Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland; 5) Linda Parker of Gadsden, AL, in Derry, Northern Ireland; 6) Bich Tan of Chapel Hill at the top of Mt. Whitney in California after completing the John Muir Trail hike; 7) Bruce & Lisa Law Hamlett of Oak Ridge, NC, at Arches National Park in Utah; 8) Charlene & Leonard Edge of Charlotte in front of the York Minster Church in York, England; 9) Bill & Alyson Newman of Durham in the tower at the Steven F. Udar-Hazy Center in Virginia; 10) Jainesh Shah & Arhum Shah of Charlotte at Haleakalā National Park, Maui, Hawaii; 11) Mark McKnight of Raleigh at Rockefeller Center in New York City; 12) Christian Johnson of Atlanta, GA, Annette Parker of Jacksonville, FL, Anissa Gainey of Durham, Phabienne Anderson of Durham, Ashley Staples of Raleigh & Jennifer Hunter of Greensboro, NC, at Rincón de la Vieja National Park, Costa Rica; 13) Tom Cabaniss, Lara Cabaniss, Terri Chaney & Richard Chaney of Kannapolis, NC, at the Amphitheater at Caeasarea in Israel; 14) Harrison, Carole, Carsyn, Caroline & Jake Parrott of Salisbury, NC, on top of Cadillac Mountain in the Acadia National Park in Maine; 15) Christopher Lloyd of Ashland, VA, at the Roman Pharos at Dover Castle, Dover, UK; 16) Henry Fleishman of Charlotte at the 18th green at Pebble Beach in California; 17) Matt Matthews of Kure Beach, NC, Alice Stroup Butler & Greg Butler of Roseboro, NC, & Dan Smith of Kipling, NC, prior to taking a swim in the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska; 18) Sandy Rasnake of Chapel Hill at MLB Spring Training in Florida; 19) Brian & Brandon Spofford overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at Acadia National Park in Maine; 20) Doug Ruley, Toni Kapp & Karl Kapp of Winston-Salem, NC, in Zion National Park, Utah; 21) Robert Moore of Zebulon, NC, at Stonehenge in England

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SURVEY SAYS

TAR HEEL

TRADITIONS Pregame destinations are as much a part of the Tar Heel experience as the games themselves

32 B O R N & B R E D

TAR HEEL TRADITIONS

BY ANDREW STILWELL

PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON, S&T SODA SHOPPE, ANNISE GINYARD, & LAINA BALAFAS

A

ny time the Tar Heels play, the pre-game energy in Chapel Hill can best be described as “electric.” For both long-time locals and returning visitors, an integral part of a Tar Heel gameday actually begins well before the whistle blows at venues across campus. During a recent survey, Rams Club members were asked about their favorite pre-game stops in Chapel Hill.

One thing is for certain. Carolina Fans take their traditions, much like their fandom, very seriously, and while there were countless options to choose from—a staggering 72 different locations, both current and long gone, received votes—there were some common themes. Here is a look at some of your favorite stops.

SURVEY

SAYS

WE ASKED RAMS CLUB MEMBERS TO TELL US THEIR FAVORITE NON-ARENA GAMEDAY STOPS. THE LEADING VOTE-GETTERS WERE: THE RATHSKELLER

1

SUTTON’S

2

TOP OF THE HILL

3

HE’S NOT HERE

4

FOUR CORNERS

5

NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST RESTAURANT

Did you know that North Carolina’s oldest restaurant is located in Chapel Hill? Opening its doors for the first time in 1922, the Carolina Coffee Shop has been a Carolina favorite for more than a century.

That level of history is not lost on Coffee Shop co-owner and former women’s soccer student athlete Heather O’Reilly, who acquired the restaurant in 2018 with an ownership group comprised exclusively of UNC alumni.

“What started off as banter among friends that was essentially ‘We should save the Coffee Shop’ became ‘Okay, how do we actually do this? What do we need?’” O’Reilly said. “It was the idea of preserving history and respecting small business and preserving Franklin Street. That hit a chord for all of us. Carolina Coffee Shop is going to be one of the restaurants that bridges the old with the new. That’s what we’re going for!”

While her soccer career has taken her across the globe, Chapel Hill has always held a special place in the heart of O’Reilly, along with her husband and Carolina Coffee Shop co-owner, men’s lacrosse alumnus David Werry.

“Chapel Hill means a lot to Dave and me because we met at UNC. Neither of us is from North Carolina, but separately, I think we fell in love with Chapel Hill and being a Tar Heel,” O’Reilly said. “I’ve lived a lot of places throughout the world, and I’ve enjoyed my time in each of those places, but at the end of the day, we just had this pull and draw to come back to Chapel Hill. For us, it came down to community. Chapel Hill is different in the way that people care about each other and just have a common bond. That was our draw to coming back to Chapel Hill over anywhere else we’ve been.”

That community is on full display during a Carolina gameday, as thousands descend on Franklin Street. According to O’Reilly, gamedays at the Carolina Coffee Shop are a special time at the restaurant.

“It’s great seeing the restaurant littered with Carolina Blue shirts at all times, but especially on gameday,” she said. “It’s usually happy vibes, because before a game, there’s a great hope in the air. We try to get people in and out as quick as possible so they can go to the

game, but we also want them to enjoy their meal.”

“I think if there’s anything that people can take out of the Carolina Coffee Shop, it’s that connection, community, and tradition are worth fighting for,” O’Reilly concluded. “That was the driving force for us.”

THE SOCIAL CROSSROADS

Located at perhaps the most iconic intersection in the town of Chapel Hill, Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery has had a bird’s eye view of countless Franklin Street celebrations since its opening on September 5, 1996, the night that Hurricane Fran hit Chapel Hill.

“After Hurricane Fran hit, there were only two restaurants on Franklin Street that were open, us and Subway. We were the only ones who had electricity,” Top of the Hill’s proprietor and founder Scott Maitland recalled. “We had a bunch of water in our brewery that we were going to use to make beer, and we ended up using that to wash dishes.”

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34 B O R N & B R E D

TAR HEEL TRADITIONS

After its touch-and-go beginnings, Top of the Hill was quickly able to “take the baton” and establish itself as one of the places that Carolina fans patronized before and after games in Chapel Hill.

“If the Carolina Inn is the living room of the University, which is what Frank Porter Graham called it, we try to think of ourselves as the front porch,” Maitland said. “We try to behave ourselves in that way and see ourselves as the gathering place that’s truly trying to support the town and the university.”

While football weekends are their own animal for the Top of the Hill staff, Maitland notes that a lot of Carolina’s athletic teams are bringing crowds to the restaurant during their home contests.

“The rhythm of a football weekend is, ‘Starting Thursday, get geared up cause it’s going to be busy from Thursday afternoon all the way to Sunday afternoon,’” he said. “Basketball is more fascinating because it depends a lot on the day and opponent, but especially in the last few years with the additions to The Bosh, the construction of Dorrance Field and Karen Shelton Stadium, the Olympic Sports programs have started drawing bigger crowds, and we’re getting definitely more business from Olympic Sports than we used to.”

The symbiotic relationship between Top of the Hill and Carolina’s athletic teams is evidenced as part of the restaurant’s “Founder’s Club 2.0,” which was established in the early days of COVID-19 to help keep the restaurant afloat in times of uncertainty. For those who bought into the program, Top of the Hill provides a free beer on gameday; not just for football or basketball, but any home game for Carolina’s 26 athletic programs.

“I was surprised and pleasantly delighted to hear from the coaches

who told me, ‘Thanks for supporting my team.’” Maitland said. “That delights the hell out of me, and it’s fun that people feel that way. It all goes back to that sense of community.”

THE FORMER PHARMACY

From the countless photos of students and local celebrities on the walls to the signed jerseys hanging from the rafters, in every corner of Sutton’s Drug Store, you get a glimpse of Carolina. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in April 2023, Sutton’s Drug Store has been a staple of Franklin Street and the Chapel Hill community for the past century.

“We’re doing something right,” said Don Pinney, Sutton’s current and fourth-ever owner. “We offer great customer service and make our customers feel welcome when they come in. I think that’s the secret to our success.

“Our staff rarely changes,” he continued. “The cooks and servers have been here for over 25 years. People get accustomed to that and want to come back and see their favorite waitress or their favorite cook, or just have memories of eating at Sutton’s. That’s the big calling card. People enjoy Sutton’s for its history and its people.”

On a typical gameday, the former pharmacy, which became a fulltime restaurant and convenience store in 2014, can see up to 1,200 customers come through the front door, eager to dine on classics like biscuits, bacon and eggs for breakfast, and hot dogs, hamburgers, deli sandwiches and milkshakes for lunch. While that may seem like a “good” number, especially with an influx of people descending upon Chapel Hill, it’s important to remember that if you combine

ramsclub.com 35

SURVEY SAYS

36 B O R N & B R E D

TAR HEEL TRADITIONS Sutton’s mismatched collection of booths, tables, and counter stools, the restaurant only has 75 seats, total.

“It’s organized chaos, but that’s as many seats as the town of Chapel Hill would let me have!” Pinney laughed. “We’ve kind of instilled in people that if there’s a line, and you’re done eating, don’t sit there and play on your phone. We’re nice about it, but we have to get the rest of these people fed!”

One of Sutton’s most interesting traditions and decorative features are the hundreds of 8x10 photos that can be found in every corner of the restaurant. The tradition started in 1980, when former pharmacist John Woodard took a photo of a group regulars – known playfully as the “old timers” – who would eat at the drug store every morning, and put the photo on display.

“Next thing you know, everyone wanted their picture taken,” said Pinney. “It started morphing from that point on, and I have thousands upon thousands of pictures archived upstairs that are faded. A lot of the older photos are hardly any good anymore, but we have them upstairs in case anyone comes in and asks if we still have their picture. If they’ll give me enough time, I can probably find it.”

THE RATHSKELLER RENAISSANCE

Proving that Rams Club members are big on tradition, the pre-game venue that received the most mentions in this survey actually closed more than 15 years ago. The Rams Head Rathskeller, a Chapel Hill staple that operated in Franklin Street’s Amber Alley from 1948-2007 developed a cult following of sorts over its lifespan.

Reminisced as much for its atmosphere and charm as it is its food, “The Rat” is fondly remembered for two iconic menu items – the lasagna, maybe better known as “The Bowl of Cheese,” and the “Gambler,” which was brought to the table on a sizzling cast iron skillet.

Fortunately, those who are longing for one more Gambler or Bowl of Cheese don’t have to look too far from Chapel Hill to find them.

In nearby Pittsboro, the S&T Soda Shoppe has you covered. For brothers Steve and T.J. Oldham (the “S” and “T” of S&T), who grew up visiting the Rathskeller as a “weekend treat,” it’s about bringing the nostalgic tastes they grew up with to the new generation, and also the generation who misses the days of “The Rat.” “It allows us to see how important the Rathskeller was to people,” said T.J. “There are people who drive from all over the state who will come to Pittsboro to get a Gambler. It’s flavors that they haven’t tasted since 2007 or before, and for a lot of them, it’s how they reminisce about their college days or time in Chapel Hill.”

It took a bit of trial and error to get the recipes right, but after approximately six months, Steve was able to nearly re-create the classic Gambler, the “Bowl of Cheese,” (which is still served in bowls purchased at auction from the original Rathskeller) and house salad dressing. He knew he’d nailed it when Steve & T.J.’s late father

Gene, S&T’s original owner, brought in some friends who were “Rathskeller regulars” from back in the day.

“My dad’s friends came in, and I told them ‘I want y’all to try something tonight instead of getting your normal,’” Steve said.

“They told me that I had the taste down perfect, all I needed to fix was the texture. Once I had that, we were ready.”

Pittsboro is just a quick 25-minute drive south of Chapel Hill, and on gamedays, many diners at the Soda Shoppe are all wearing the same color – Carolina blue.

“To think people want to include us as part of their gameday is an honor,” said T.J. “Doesn’t matter if it’s football, basketball, baseball – people will find us and order some of their favorites. We’ll have customers come in before games and always order the same thing, because they’re superstitious and convinced that what they had for lunch will lead the Tar Heels to a win.”

ramsclub.com 37

FIRST PERSON

Double Duty

M

My freshman year in high school, I had a coach tell me

Ortega, Katie Hoeg, and Ally Mastroianni in practice. Those

the other. I had played lacrosse and soccer (plus other

I’ve been on the soccer practice field with Alessia Russo,

that I could only reach my potential in one sport if I quit sports) for my entire life, and my parents and family had

been so supportive about making sure I could get to every practice and game even when it would have been easier to focus on one sport.

At first, I was a little upset. I talked to my dad about it

and he told me my parents would support me in whatever I wanted to do. He asked me, “If you truly love playing both, why would you give one up if you have the opportunity to keep playing?”

That resonated with me, and Carolina has given me that

opportunity to keep playing both in college. I wanted to be like Maggie Bill, who played soccer and lacrosse here from

2014-18. I was being more heavily recruited for lacrosse, but Coach Jenny Levy was very supportive of my desire to play both sports. Once Anson Dorrance saw me play soccer, and

realized that, as he says, I play fast and angry, he allowed me to be part of his incredible program.

Yes, it can be a very busy schedule to play two sports. We’re

fortunate, because our teams are so good that we’re usually

are some of the best lacrosse players ever to play at Carolina.

who is now on England’s national team, and Emily Fox, who is currently on the US women’s national team roster. I’ve

improved so much playing against talented players like that.

When people ask me how I did this, that’s really the answer—

the opportunity to get so much better playing against the best talent in the country and in the world.

Anson Dorrance, Jenny Levy, Damon Nahas,

and

Phil

Barnes,

and

Carolina as a whole, cultivate

a culture where everyone is striving for excellence. All of my teammates are so competitive and truly have a love of the

game. It doesn’t feel like a job.

It feels like the opportunity of a

lifetime, and I love getting this

chance to compete in multiple sports—as a Tar Heel.

still competing during exam periods in the fall (soccer) and

spring (lacrosse) semesters. There have been days when I’m taking a final exam in the morning and playing in a national semifinal in the evening.

But ultimately, I love it. Both teams have been so

supportive of me, and I’ve made so many great friends.

Both teams really support a culture of being true to

yourself. I don’t feel like I’m putting on a separate hat for

each team or being a different person in each locker room.

This is Carolina. Excellence is encouraged.

I can’t even put into words how honored I am to be included

on a list of Carolina multi-sport athletes that includes people

like Julius Peppers. That is crazy to me. I’ve been so fortunate

to be on amazing teams with incredible teammates who are so talented.

My freshman year, I had to defend players like

38 B O R N & B R E D

Jamie

JULIA DORSEY

Women’s Soccer and Lacrosse Illustration by Jason McCorkle

CAROLINA INSIDER PODCAST HOSTED BY JONES ANGELL AND ADAM LUCAS

POWERED BY

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