James Spurling, a longtime friend of UNC football head coach Mack Brown and the football program in general, will now have his name immortalized at Kenan Stadium. The university unveiled the James Spurling West Concourse Thursday afternoon in a special ceremony attended by Spurling, Brown and dozens of other UNC football figures.
Before working for UNC, Spurling was a well-known business owner in Chapel Hill, whose service station in Eastgate was a popular gathering place for those within the university, including former chancellors and athletic directors.
“It was a ‘Who’s who’ of university and town leaders who’d come through every day,” said former UNC football player Jeff Saturday.
Today, Spurling serves as Director of Kenan Stadium, getting the stadium ready for numerous events every year, from football games to marriage proposals.
“What you have done for this place will never go away, and now your legacy will live forever,” Brown told Spurling at the ceremony. “We love you, we appreciate you.”
“Nobody deserves it more,” said Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham. “What you have done for this place and the university is unbelievable. It’s been said that you cannot live a perfect day until you do something for someone who cannot help you in return. James does that every day for hundreds of people. This is an opportunity to celebrate what he has meant to Carolina, and, specifically, to Carolina football.”
The Ram’s Club helped to raise funds for the renaming, doing it in secret from Spurling. Forty-Nine Degrees, an institutional design firm which helped to renovate Kenan Football Center with Spurling, provided the materials free of charge.
To learn more about Spurling, click here.
Featured image via Carolina Athletics
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