James Spurling, who served as the Director of Kenan Stadium and the Kenan Football Center in the heart of the UNC campus since 2006 and had been a Chapel Hill staple for many years prior, died Thursday. He was 68 years old.
Tributes flooded in from across the Chapel Hill and UNC sports communities following the news of Spurling’s death. Athletic director Bubba Cunningham called Spurling “a true Tar Heel who exuded sincerity, was committed to teamwork and led with such selflessness.” Former UNC football head coach Mack Brown, who was instrumental in the construction and renovation of the Kenan Football Center across his two tenures with the Tar Heels, said Spurling was “a giant of a man.”
“Nobody touched more hearts,” Brown said.
Spurling won numerous honors for his work at the university. In 2009, Spurling received the Ernie Williamson Award, recognizing outstanding service by an employee of the athletic department. He was also named the winner of the C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award in 2015, which recognizes “unusual, meritorious or superior contributions” by UNC employees. In 2021, the west concourse at Kenan Stadium was named in Spurling’s honor.
“I am deeply grieved at the news of James Spurling’s passing,” UNC head coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. “His work for the football program was invaluable, his dedication to the university was unequaled, and, above all, his character as a person was exemplary. He was irreplaceable, and we already miss him greatly.”
Larry Fedora, who served as UNC’s head coach from 2012 through 2018, said Spurling was “a wonderful man who truly loved UNC with all his heart and soul.”
“He wanted the best for everyone he met,” Fedora said, “and worked tirelessly to make that happen and never expected anything in return.”
Before becoming Director of Kenan Stadium, Spurling was a well-known community figure at the Eastgate BP service station, initially buying it in 1982. UNC football historian Lee Pace notes how the station was “a gathering spot” for locals to both buy gas and catch up with friends. Pace included campus figures such as former chancellor Bill Aycock among the Eastgate BP regulars.
Former UNC football player Jeff Saturday once held a job at the Eastgate BP. Saturday, who had not been selected in the NFL Draft and was questioning his future in football, said Spurling inspired him to keep working. Saturday would eventually play more than a decade in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers, earning six Pro Bowl nods and two first team All-Pro selections.
“In my darkest hour, James was there for me,” Saturday said. “Few people in my life have made an impact like James has.”
Dré Bly, Saturday’s teammate with the Tar Heels in the 1990s, called Spurling “the glue behind the scenes for Carolina football.”
“Truly one of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” Jones Angell of the Tar Heel Sports Network said on the Carolina Insider podcast. “I don’t know anyone who was more willing to help.”
According to UNC, a public memorial for Spurling is currently in the works. More information will be made available at a later date.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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