Jeff and Karen Saturday are never far from UNC football, and now their names will forever be associated with the men in the trenches.

The Tar Heels announced Thursday that after a gift from the Saturday family, the offensive line room in the team facility will be officially renamed the Saturday Family O-Line Room.

Saturday played at center in Chapel Hill from 1994 through 1997 and was named a first-team All-ACC performer twice, as well as Academic All-ACC in 1997. He was a four-year letterman under head coach Mack Brown, during the Hall-of-Famer’s first stint coaching at UNC. Despite this, Saturday was not selected in the 1998 NFL Draft.

After being signed and quickly cut by the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday eventually signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 1999 after a former college teammate, Nate Hobgood-Chittick, recommended him to the team’s general manager.

Saturday excelled with the Colts and star quarterback Peyton Manning. He made six Pro Bowls in his illustrious NFL career, five of which came with Indianapolis. He was also named a first-team All-Pro in 2007.

In addition to being a contributor for NFL Live on ESPN, Saturday frequently appears as a guest on pre-kickoff radio coverage of Carolina football. UNC play-by-play announcer Jones Angell publicly expressed his excitement about the gift.

You can listen to Saturday and Angell an hour before kickoff for each game of the UNC football program’s 2021 season on 97.9 FM or 1360 AM.

Chapelboro.comĀ does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community.Ā Contribute today ā€“ every single dollar matters.

 

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Dead Man Walking?
With Hubert Davis dismissed, no seat will be hotter in Chapel Hill than UNC head football coach Bill Belichickā€™s this fall.
Chansky's Notebook: 'We Have Our Team Now'
Bill Belichick spoke to the media at the Kenan Football Center Tuesday as UNC opened its spring practice season.
Chansky's Notebook: Mack is Back (Again)
Mack Brown's midcourt ceremony at the Smith Center Monday night was a satisfying end to what had been an awkward UNC football saga.
Here's a List of Which Transfers Have Committed to UNC Football in 2026
The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and closed Friday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of players who have committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the portal so far, with their classes for the 2026 season: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Most recent school: Wisconsin, redshirt senior) Ranked 3rd in […]
Tributes Pour In After James Spurling, Director of Kenan Stadium, Dies at 68
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 […]
Financial Report Shows UNC Athletics Operated at $15 Million Deficit in 2024-25 Year
The newest financial report from the UNC athletic department to the NCAA shows the department operated at a deficit of more than $15 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department reported revenues of $172,951,034 and reported expenses of $187,967,260. The UNC athletic department had operated at a profit in each of the past three […]
'Hard to Imagine': Newmark, Lombardi, Others Share Disbelief at Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Vote
UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi and athletic-director-in-waiting Steve Newmark were among many sports figures to share their disappointment and surprise at reports that head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. An ESPN report published Tuesday night indicated Belichick, currently between his first and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Sophomore Slippage
UNC's schedule for the 2026 football season is out, and Art Chansky says it is very, very bad news for Bill Belichick's second year.
Schedule Set for UNC Football's 2026 Season
The UNC football program now has its complete schedule for the 2026 season. The ACC revealed all of the league members’ schedules Monday night. Your 2026 North Carolina Football Schedule. šŸ šŸ”—: https://t.co/VQdkI47r8nšŸŽŸļø: https://t.co/XERIbvZEH8 pic.twitter.com/6Zb5uSn1y3 — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) January 26, 2026 UNC will open the season in Dublin, Ireland against TCU as part of […]
Several UNC Football Stars Will Return to Chapel Hill in 2026. Here's the Full List.
In an era of unrestricted player movement in college football, teams are undergoing radical changes every offseason. Take UNC before the 2025 season, when the Tar Heels upended their roster and brought in 70 new players. This offseason, there is only one transfer portal window, between Jan. 2 and Jan. 16. More than two dozen […]
›