The UNC football program announced Thursday that Rams Club members raised money to officially name the team chaplain’s office after Mitch Mason.

Mason was diagnosed in 2020 with a rare nerve disorder called Idiopathic Small Fiber Neuropathy, a disease for which there is no known cure.

He became the program’s first ever team chaplain in 2012 and quickly became a vital figure for the Tar Heels behind the scenes — not only conducting bible studies and leading services, but also offering guidance and a shoulder to lean on for the team.

According to a profile written by longtime UNC football insider Lee Pace, Mason is called simply “Mister Mitch” by those within the team.

Although former head coach Larry Fedora was the one who created Mason’s position, his impact was felt so strongly in the program that current head coach Mack Brown was quickly persuaded to keep him on.

Mason’s diagnosis kept him away from the team for the 2020 season, but he sent the team a message on the Kenan Stadium video boards prior to their October game against Virginia Tech — which they went on to win the next day.

Mason’s office on the second floor of the Kenan Football Center will now be forever named in his honor.

 

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