Huddle Up, As Season Ends

 
Appropriate for today, we are most thankful to have John Shoop, Carolina’s former offensive coordinator, contribute “The Shoop Scoop” every Thursday. His latest piece is a moving tribute to some of the youngsters he recruited and coached at UNC. Don’t miss this from-the-heart tribute from a good friend of WCHL and Chapelboro. When the Tar Heel coaching staff turned over, it was our gain that Shoop remained in the community with his family for a year to call the color on weekly high school football broadcasts and write his Huddle column. Thanks, Coach.
 
Freddie Kiger is one of Chapel Hill’s greatest ambassadors, and the former teacher and long-time media personality used his vast historical knowledge to post a unique Friday column that shared some jewels about the town and university just before game day. In his last piece this Friday, Kiger reflects on the 85th anniversary of the Dedication Game in Kenan Stadium. As with all of FK’s writings, this final post is filled with facts and whimsy about our history.
 
As we had in our Drive To A Championship basketball special section last winter, UNC students from the Carolina Fever group contributed their oft-insightful and mostly humorous takes on the view from the Tar Pit. In football, it was Andrew Darvin and Alex Collette who made us laugh and think about things from a young perspective. Thanks, guys, and go get painted up.
 
Brian Chacos, a newcomer to Chapelboro but a Tar Heel lineman forever, took a Tuesday turn to tell us the players’ perspective before, during and after games – big wins and tough losses. Chacos, who played for John Bunting, says the thrill of strapping on those pads and entering Kenan Stadium through the home tunnel will never leave him and still juices his fall Saturdays.
 
And, of course, our Monday Morning quarterback has been the indomitable BobLee, whose 12-year-old BobLeeSays blog has become one of the most popular and hilarious on the Internet. BobLee always delivered with a follow-up piece that put the game, and all of its machinations, into a perspective that if not so proper be damned!

Occasionally, we also had guest columns, such as Kristin Tucker’s tailgating tips and Dave Kirk’s view from afar.
 
To all of you, plus the great action photos shot by Josh Drye and contributed by the Daily Tar Heel, thanks for making Huddle Up With The Heels regular reading for Carolina football fans this season, Coach Larry Fedora’s first and one we hope ends with a big victory over Maryland Saturday. See you next year!

‹

Shoop Heads For Purdue

Everett Withers and the remains of the Butch Davis coaching regime were not retained, only one member of the old staff stayed in Chapel Hill.   John Shoop was still under contract for the 2012 season at UNC, so for the first time since grade school Shoop spent an autumn off the football field. […]

Art's Angle: From The Couch

Once it started raining heavily Saturday afternoon, my angle for the football game against Idaho was from my couch, clicker in hand, to watch Carolina’s record-breaking 66-0 win and a few other things tangential to the Tar Heels. Good choice because it turned out to be a great, as well as dry, day in that […]

Good Chemistry, At Last

Even as Larry Fedora injects a youthful, wide-eyed energy into Carolina Football not seen here since Mack Brown, the Butch backers and Holden haters continue to view the glass as more than half empty. I ran into such a group this week having lunch at the Crook’s Cafe — one who said he had three […]

Just Win, Baby!

If Everett Withers keeps it up, he’s going to make it easy on Carolina’s new athletic director.   Withers began his season as UNC’s interim football coach with a slight blip that had some people chortling in their corn flakes – publicizing that the game ball from the opening day win over James Madison […]

Davis Should Go -- Now

UNC can still begin moving beyond its regrettable football scandal of the last year, regardless of its final fate from the NCAA. Ohio State has conveniently provided Carolina with the model it should use in order to separate a scandalous past from a brighter future.   The Buckeyes, whose transgressions aren’t nearly as severe as […]

Inside Carolina: Fedora is Out

After the final Tar Heel football game of the season ended in a loss to NC State, today’s edition of “Inside Carolina” discusses the breaking news that coach Larry Fedora will not be returning next season. From the buyout of his contract to what’s next for the Tar Heels, it’s getting covered here.

Duke, And The War for Wiggins

Some sobering        thoughts on Car olina’s bad — really bad — loss to Duke Saturday night: The Tar Heels lost the battle but they may have won the War for Wiggins. More on that later. Larry Fedora has a new goal to hit Duke with a two touchdown lead (14 points) next fall before […]

The Martin Report

Former Governor Martin’s report on his independent investigation into academic fraud at UNC is due Thursday, and my educated guess is that it will confirm what we already know and reveal little that we don’t. That’s the outcome UNC must have to finally put this scandal to rest and move on, and any new revelations […]

"Don't Mess This Up"

My one-day stint as a Carolina and Duke Football Recruit It’s no secret that UNC and Duke squabble over basketball recruits. From Michael Jordan to Jason Williams, each school has coveted its neighbor’s latest gem. But that’s old news. What about the other side of the equation? What about a prospect’s fight for the affectations […]

"In Larry I Trust"

With the 2012 season in the books and the Heels finishing out 8-4 and Coastal Division champs, I would say that there is a lot to be proud of in Chapel Hill and at the Kenan Stadium Football Center!!  Here are just some quick observations/reasons about why I and so many others are “all in” […]

›