This article is one of several based on an exclusive conversation between Bubba Cunningham and 97.9 The Hill’s Art Chansky about the UNC Athletic Department’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The audio from the full conversation can be found at the bottom of this story.
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham was sitting at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro when the sports world changed overnight.
On Wednesday, March 11, Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. Within 24 hours, the NBA season was suspended, followed closely by the cancellation of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
“We’re like, ‘you have got to be kidding me,'” said Cunningham. “That was kind of a tipping point moment.”
Speaking with 97.9 The Hill, Cunningham said the events in the following days moved quickly.
“Within the next 24 hours we went from playing a game with fans to playing a game with no fans, to not playing a game,” he said. “Within a very short period of time, the reality of up until that point, which was kind of something that was bad happening somewhere else, became the practical reality to us. And now how are we going to react to it and what are we going to do.”
The rest of the sports world followed suit behind the NBA.
The NHL suspended its season and spring baseball was put on hold. In collegiate athletics, the ACC and other conferences canceled spring athletics for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
According to Cunningham, the decision didn’t come lightly.
“We’re all incredibly competitive and we want to always have an opportunity to win,” said Cunningham. “But when this happened we all set the competitive equity issues aside and said we all need to make the best decision for our campus and we’ll deal with the fallout of those decisions competitively later.”
As the athletic director, it fell upon Cunningham to call individual UNC athletic teams to let them know that their seasons had been canceled.
“Our track team was actually in New Mexico and our head coach was traveling to New Mexico because they were going to compete the next day,” said Cunningham. “I called him and said, ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but we have to bring the kids home and they’re not going to be able to compete.’ That was a difficult call only to be followed by a more difficult call for him to tell his students that they had to come home.”
The decision to cancel spring athletics not only affected teams that were in season, but those that were going through offseason activities.
Mack Brown and the UNC football team were gearing up for spring practice before the coronavirus outbreak. Likewise, Roy Williams was set to hit the recruiting trail to reload the Carolina basketball team after a disappointing 2019-20 campaign.
According to Cunningham, meetings with both Brown and Williams have been productive, to say the least.
“Mack was incredible. Coach Williams was incredible,” Cunningham said. “I’m telling you, these are Hall of Fame coaches for a reason. They are incredible to work with.”
Moving forward, there is uncertainty about the athletic calendar across all sports. The NBA, NHL and MLB have not announced return dates for their seasons and the fall college football schedule is also in doubt.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told media members that he believes the fall football schedule will be played.
“My preference is to let’s get to work and let’s go play. That’s the best case scenario. I think that’s what’s going to happen. I have zero doubt that we’re going to be playing,” Swinney said. “The stands are going to be packed and the Valley’s going to be rocking. I don’t have any doubt.”
When asked about the college football season, Cunningham said it is still unclear what governing body makes the decision in the end. He highlighted the fact that many entities — from the federal government to the individual states to the athletic conferences — could hold the say.
In the end, the decision might come down to what’s best for the student-athletes.
“What’s most important for the student? We’ve got 800 student athletes competing in these sports,” Cunningham said. “The number one thing we’re all concerned about is making sure they get a great education.”
Because of the coronavirus outbreak, UNC transitioned to online-only learning and asked students not to return to campus after spring break. Right now, summer semesters have also been moved online and a decision about the fall is forthcoming. If the university’s campus is closed to students in the fall, Cunningham said he has a hard time seeing sports return.
“If the campus isn’t really open for students, then how can our student athletes play without fans?”
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Listen to the complete interview with UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham:
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines