The UNC football program unveiled a new installation at the Kenan Football Center honoring alumni who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The “Honoring Our Military” wall was officially revealed to the public in a special ceremony Tuesday afternoon in recognition of Veterans Day.

“As always, it’s really an honor to be part of anything that relates to honoring our veterans and our military,” said head coach Bill Belichick. “It’s a great privilege for me to stand here today and do that on behalf of the University of North Carolina and the football program.”

The wall honors players, coaches and staff who served, noting each honoree’s branch, years of service and years with the UNC football program. At the time of the unveiling, 61 names are displayed on the wall, “with the intent to expand” as the program identifies more alumni and more enlist, according to a statement published Monday. Belichick noted the wall was a “work in progress,” and said program historians are still researching other connections to the military. One notable name yet to be added to the wall is that of Stephen Belichick, Bill’s father, who served in the Navy during World War II.

Two current members of the football program are among those honored on the wall. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served for eight years, including a stint as a graduate assistant for the academy’s football program. In a statement, Priefer said he was “deeply honored and humbled” to be recognized.

Also honored on the wall is Trent Baker, UNC’s assistant director of sports performance. Baker was a longtime U.S. Navy SEAL, serving from 2001 through 2023.

“Tar Heel football and our nation’s military history are inextricably linked,” Baker said, “and I hope the stories embedded in this wall get told for generations to come.”

Also present at the dedication ceremony Tuesday were UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, chair of the university’s Department of Military Science Lisa Klekowski and director of the university’s program for Military and Veteran Student Success Rob Palermo.

“The new memorial reflects the university’s enduring values of service and honor,” Roberts said in a statement. “It ensures that generations of Tar Heels will remember those who served both on the gridiron and on behalf of our great nation. We are proud to be part of recognizing their service.”

“They give us the opportunity to do what we do, which is coach football, play football, go to school,” Belichick said. “So we’re very appreciative of what our military does to defend our freedom.”

 

Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh

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