Aug. 8, 1999
y: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue.com
Year-by-Year:
1940: A streaky Tar Heel squad finished the season with a 6-4 mark
that was highlighted by a big upset win over Duke...
Carolina opened the season with an easy 56-6 win over Appalachian in Carolina's only
game against the school from Boone, N.C. The next week a 12-0 loss to Wake Forest
snapped a 12-game unbeaten streak against the Demon Deacons. Wins over
Davidson (27-7), Texas Christian (21-14) and N.C. State (13-7) were followed by losses
to Tulane (14-13), Fordham (14-0 at the Polo Grounds) and Richmond (14-13). The Richmond
loss was particularly stunning, and no one gave UNC much of a chance against Duke...
Wallace Wade had another strong squad, as the Blue Devils were 5-1 and ranked 12th in
the AP poll. The game was played before a SRO Kenan Stadium crowd of 41,600 on a
bitterly cold November afternoon. Duke took a 3-0 lead on Tom Ruffer's 31-yard field goal
in the second quarter, and it looked as though three points
would be enough, as the Blue Devils were totally shutting down Carolina's offense.
The game then turned on consecutive
possessions in the third quarter. Duke had a first down on its own 27 when running back
Steve Lach broke free for what looked like a certain touchdown. However, Paul Severin,
Carolina's stand-out end, hauled the speedy Lach down from behind on the UNC 17. Carolina
held and took over on their own 25-yard line. At this point in the game Carolina had
but one first down. Suddenly, the Heels' offense started clicking, and Carolina went on
a 75-yard, 14-play drive to take a stunning 6-3 lead. Quarterback Jim Lalanne was
phenomenal on this drive, as all 75 yards came from either Lalanne's running or passing.
Facing a fourth and one on the Duke 10, Lalanne surprised the whole stadium with
a ten-yard TD pass to Joe Austin, who outran the Duke defense into the left corner
of the end zone. Duke never threatened again, and Carolina, which used only 16 players
the entire game, pulled off the upset...
Carolina then finished the season with a win over Virginia for the eighth straight year,
this time taking a 10-7 win at Charlottesville...
QB LaLanne rushed for 541 yards this year, giving him a record (for a quarterback)
1,160 for his career (1938-40).
1941: As war clouds gathered over Europe and the Pacific,
Coach Ray Wolf's final Tar Heel squad finished 3-7, Wolf's only losing season
in his highly successful six-year tenure...
For the second year in a row, Carolina opened with an in-state school from the mountains,
topping Lenoir Rhyne 42-6 in the first and only meeting between the two schools.
Hugh Cox returned a punt 78-yards for a touchdown. A 13-7 loss to South Carolina and
a 20-0 win at Davidson put Carolina at 2-1, but the Heels promptly lost to
Fordham, Tulane, Wake Forest (for the 2nd straight year) and N.C. State.
Carolina stopped the losing skid with a 27-0 win over Richmond, as Johnny Pecora
returned a kickoff 97-yards for a TD, the third longest in UNC history...
The 3-5 Tar Heels then faced 7-0 Duke in Durham. In a game that everyone expected UNC
to lose, UNC lost. Duke won 20-0 in front of 45,000 Duke Stadium spectators. The Blue
Devils would finish 9-0 and accept a bid to play Oregon State in the Rose Bowl
in Pasadena, Calif. However, instead of having to travel 3,000 miles to play the game,
the Duke team had to travel about a mile, all the way to Duke Stadium. The Japanese bombing
of Pearl Harbor threatened to cancel the game, and the Defense Department did not want
a huge crowd anywhere on the west coast. Therefore, it was Oregon State who did the
traveling, coming to Durham for the only Rose Bowl played outside of Pasadena. The
eavers had a happy trip, handing the Blue Devils a 20-16 loss for their only defeat of the
season...
The final game of the Wolf era was a 28-7 loss to Virginia at
Kenan Stadium....
Punter Harry Dunkle finished his UNC career averaging 43.7 yards per punt, the best mark
(min. 100 attempts) in school history...
Wolf, one of the most underated coaches that UNC
has had, finished with a 38-17-3 (.681) record.
1942: The war years were a very unsettled time in Carolina's athletic history, and
this was reflected in the football program. From 1942-1944, UNC had three different coaches
who put makeshift teams through the paces against adjusted schedules which included some
military teams.
The legendary Jim Tatum, who would later return to Chapel Hill, coached the
1942 team to a 5-2-2 record...
Carolina opened with a 6-0 win over Wake Forest, snapping a two-game losing streak
to the Deacons in a game in which neither team completed a pass. An 18-6 win over
South Carolina was followed by another appearance in Yankee Stadium, a 0-0 tie
with Fordham. Wins over Duquesne and Davidson were offset by losses at Tulane
and N.C. State, putting the Heels at 4-2-1...A 4-3 Duke team came to Chapel Hill
for what was expected to be an even matchup, and it was. The teams slugged it out
to a 13-13 tie on a cold and windy November afternoon. Carolina finished its season
with a 28-13 win at Virginia...
The University of North Carolina made major contributions to America's war effort.
Frank Porter Graham and Billy Carmichael, Jr., in a telegram to the Department of
Defense, offered the entire UNC facilities to the U.S. Government, with no qualifications.
On February 27, 1942, UNC was selected as one of five locations for a U.S. Navy
Pre-Flight school. More than 70 universities applied to be one of these schools, and
UNC was selected due to both Dr. Graham's friendship with President Roosevelt and the fact
that Horace Williams Airport was considered the best college airport in the country.
The purpose of the pre-flight schools was to provide Navy and Marine pilots
the "most intensive, rigorous, and comprehensive program of physical and mental
training that the world has ever seen." The campus soon underwent a radical change.
Ten dormitories were used to house the cadets, with Caldwell Hall and Manning Hall
serving as classroom space. Lenoir Hall was the Cadet's dining hall, and most of
the school's athletic facilities were used primarily by the Navy. A total of 18,700
cadets came to Chapel Hill for training at some point during the war. At any one point
in time there were approximately 1,875 cadets, 768 officers and 715 enlisted personnel
on campus. A total of 75 battalions served 12-week stays in Chapel Hill. Nearly 25%
of the cadets who became pilots from the first 25 battalions were killed in action.
After some initial friction between the cadets and the students and townspeople, there
emerged a spirit of cooperation and patriotism. Among the cadets and their instructors
who spent time in Chapel Hill were Ted Williams, Otto Graham, Gerald Ford and Bear Bryant...
Carolina's generous contribution to the war effort did not go unrewarded.
As well as paying rent for the space it used, the Navy contributed $2 million
for capital improvements on campus.
The Navy renovated all dorms that housed the Cadets. It also built the old infirmary,
Kessing Pool, Navy Field and the Undergraduate Admission's building.
1943: Tom Young guided the Heels to a 6-3 record in his only year at the helm...
Georgia Tech topped UNC 20-7 in the opener, the first time Carolina had lost its
opening game since a 9-8 loss to Wake Forest in 1927.
The Heels then went on to win six of their last eight games.
Unfortunately, the two losses were to Duke. In this war year, with teams strapped
for opponents, the two rivals played in Durham in October and Chapel Hill
in November. Duke won 14-7 and 27-6, respectively.
Carolina concluded its season with a 54-7 pasting of Virginia at Norfolk, Va. UNC
had an amazing 555 yards rushing against the Cavaliers.
1944: Carolina had its worst season since 1891, going 1-7-1 under Gene McEver...
Carolina lost its first three games for the first time in school history, dropping
shutouts to Wake Forest (7-0), Army (46-0) and Georgia Tech (28-0).
Carolina picked up its only win of the year the next week with a 20-14 win over
the Cherry Point Marines. A loss to South Carolina was followed by a 0-0 tie with
William & Mary. UNC the lost its last three games
to Yale (13-6), Duke (33-0) and Virginia (26-7). The Heels had just seven yards of
total offense in the loss to Yale...
The Carolina offense scored but 33 points this year (3.67 per game).
1945: Carolina celebrated the end of the war years with the return of the quiet
Dutchman, Carl Snavely, who had coached the last nine years at Cornell. The Omaha, Neb.
native's first team went 5-5, a big improvement over the previous year's mark.
Although World War II was over before the season started in late September, the schedule
was reminiscent of the war years, and the roster was a mix of regular students, military
trainees and veterans...
The Heels fell into a pattern of win, then lose, for their first eight games. Carolina
had six-point wins over both Camp Lee and the Cherry Point Marines. Included in the losses
was a 49-0 loss at Penn and a 20-6 loss at Tennessee. The 4-4 Heels then broke the
"win,lose" pattern with a 14-7 loss at Duke. UNC topped Virginia 49-14 at
Charlottesville to finish with a .500 record...
The next few years would bring not only a return to "normalcy", but also an excitement
never before seen at Kenan Stadium.
Charlie Justice made
his Tar Heel debut
in 1946.
|
1946: Charlie Justice entered Carolina after a stint in the Navy and elevated the
football program to previously unknown heights. During his four years at UNC, the Heels went
to three major bowls and were 8-2 in the only season they did not go to a bowl. As a
triple-threat All-America halfback, Justice captured the imagination and fancy of the
football fan as no one else ever had. He was idolized and the attention he received from the
media was almost unheard of in that time.
The Tar Heels operated from the single wing with the kind of variations that at times
resembled the Harlem Globetrotter's pre-game ball-handling act, and "Choo Choo"
was in the middle of the action.
Justice's first team went 8-2-1 and won the
Southern Conference championship before losing 20-10 to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl...
The Justice era began with a very disappointing 14-14 tie with Virginia Tech, but
Carolina rebounded with a 21-0 win at Miami and a 33-0 home win over Maryland...
Next up was Justice's first northern road trip, a matchup with the Naval
Academy at Baltimore, Md. The Midshipmen weren't very good this year, but Carolina
still struggled to get a 21-14 win on a chilly day
in Baltimore. The Heels came home trounce the Florida Gators
40-19 to move to 4-0-1. The Justice legend took a huge leap in this game, as
"Choo Choo" became the
first player in collegiate history to have a punt return (70 yards) and a kickoff return
(90 yards) for touchdowns in the same game.
...Next up, a battle of top ten teams in Knoxville, Carolina
versus Tennessee. The Vols won 20-14 on Walt Slater's 78-yard, third-quarter punt return.
Justice made one of his best runs ever, a 70-yard touchdown run that saw him criss-cross
the field as almost every Volunteer got a hand on him...
Wins over William & Mary and Wake Forest put UNC at 6-1-1 going into
Justice's first game against Duke...
owl talk was in the air in Chapel Hill as 43,000 fans filled chilly Kenan Stadium for the
first "real" Carolina-Duke game in several years. There were rumors that Carolina may
be in line for an Orange or Sugar Bowl bid, but a slightly paranoid Carolina fan
could not help but remember 1935, the year the Blue Devils knocked UNC out of the
Rose Bowl. That paranoia became realistic fear when a 4-4 Duke squad jumped out to
a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Justice then brought the Heels even with a 19-yard
scoring pass to John Tandy on a fourth down play with a minute left in the half.
The score remained 7-7
well into the fourth quarter. Finally, with eight minutes to play, UNC faced a fourth
and one on the Duke one. Kenan Stadium was rocking when Jack Fitch scored on a
double-reverse to give the Heels a 14-7 lead. After the Heels picked off a
Duke pass, Carolina put the game away on a 24-yard run by Justice. A late safety
made the final margin 22-7...With a Sugar Bowl bid on the line, UNC traveled to
Charlottesville for a Nov. 30 matchup with the Cavaliers. This one was easy, 49-14,
as Justice scored on 54, 45 and 19-yard runs,
and the Heels were headed to New Orleans...
Carolina's first-ever bowl appearance did not go Carolina's way.
Walt Pupa's two-yard run gave UNC a 7-0 lead before Georgia tied it. Bob Cox gave the
Heels' their last lead at 10-7
before Georgia, behind their great halfback Charlie Trippi, rallied for a 20-10 win.
Trippi's 67-yard pass to Dan Edwards was the game-winning score....
"Choo-Choo" averaged 7.2 yards per rush
for the season, still a UNC record...
This year's squad did not pass much, but when they did they were incredibly
effective. The Heels completed 35 passes for 633 yards for an average gain of 18.1
yards per catch...
Carolina finished 9th in the final AP poll.
1947: Justice's second team lost two of its first three games, but rallied for a highly
successful 8-2 campaign...
Carolina did not have to wait long to take out its revenge on the University of Georgia.
The Bulldogs opened the season at Kenan Stadium on Sept. 27.
Carolina fans remembered two controversial calls that went against UNC in the Sugar
owl, one a possible forward lateral that was not called on a big play by Georgia, the
other a Justice to Ken Powell scoring pass that was called back when it was ruled that
Powell pushed the Georgia defender. The Bulldogs had not lost in their last seventeen
games, and the Kenan Stadium crowd was ready. In a game that received huge national
media coverage, Georgia jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the half. It would not last, as
the Heels showed they had more than one offensive weapon. Walt Pupa hit Bob Cox with
a 39-yard pass to tie the score in the third quarter, then hooked up with Art Weiner
on a 17-yard TD pass late in the fourth quarter for a 14-7 win...
The Tar Heels flew to Austin, Texas the next week to face Bobby Layne and the Texas
Longhorns, and received a Texas-sized lesson in football. The Longhorns put a 34-0
whipping on the Tar Heels as Texas, led by Layne and fullback Tom Landry, pulled away
in the second half. The demoralized Heels came home and were shocked, 19-7, by
Wake Forest at Kenan Stadium.
Carolina would not lose again until falling to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1949...
Art Weiner was a
great two-way
end for Carolina
|
Next up was a big road game at William & Mary that could make or break the Heels' season.
The game was tied at 7-7 late in the fourth quarter when Carolina recovered a fumble
on the William & Mary 20-yard line. Walt Pupa's one-yard plunge capped off a seven-play
drive and gave the Heels a 13-7 win. Justice and his teammates were off and running...
Carolina traveled to Gainesville, Fla. for a matchup against the Florida Gators. It turned
into the Hosea Rodgers' show, as the big fullback had 238 yards of total offense in
a 35-7 Carolina win. Rodgers scored on a 76-yard run from scrimmage, threw 52-yards
to Justice for a TD and hit John Tandy with a 15-yard scoring toss. When it was clicking
on all cylinders, the Carolina offense was a thing of beauty...Tennessee, led by its
famous coach, General Robert Neyland, came to Kenan Stadium, and this time it was the
Carolina defense that stole the show. UNC held Tennessee to just three first downs, and
Justice ran for one score and passed for two more in a 20-6 victory...
Following an easy 41-6 win at home over N.C. State, Carolina traveled to Washington, D.C. to
play the Maryland Terrapins at Griffith Stadium, the home of baseball's Washington Senators.
The game, played under a hard rain, was scoreless until Carolina expoded for three touchdown
in the last quarter to take a 19-0 win...
The 6-2 Tar Heels bussed to Durham to take on the 4-2-2 Blue Devils before 56,500 fans
at a cold and wet Duke Stadium. Carolina's defense was outstanding, holding the Blue Devils
to just four first downs and a net zero yards rushing in a 21-0 win. Justice scored on a pair
of six-yard runs and tossed a two-yard scoring pass to Bob Cox. The game would not have
been this close except for the 150 yards in penalties the Heels accumulated...
Virginia came to Chapel Hill for the season's final game. On a miserably cold
Saturday in late November, five different Tar Heels scored
as Carolina gained 506 yards of total-offense in a 40-7 Carolina win...
Carolina did not go to a bowl game despite its fine season. There are several
different versions of why they did not go, including one that says the Heels were not
invited. I choose to believe Rick Brewer's, UNC's longtime SID, account of the matter.
According to Brewer,
UNC was extended an Orange Bowl bid after the season ended, but the players voted it down.
The players in the post-war era were older than usual, and many players on the team were
married, some with young children. Carolina's poor start had left many on the team with
the impression that there would be no bowl bid forthcoming, so they had grown accustomed to
the idea of spending the holidays with their families. Thus, when a late bid was
extended to the Orange Bowl, the players voted it down...
For the second consecutive season Carolina finished 9th in the AP poll.
1948: The Tar Heels extended their unbeaten streak from the previous season
with a fabulous 9-0-1 regular season record that led to a another trip to
the Sugar Bowl...
Carl Snavely and the
Tar Heels celebrate
the win over Texas
|
The first game of the season was arguably one the three biggest games in Kenan Stadium history.
The mighty Texas Longhorns, who embarassed the Heels 34-0 in Austin the previous
season, were coming to town. Temporary bleachers were erected in each end zone, and tickets
were a scarce commodity. Almost unbelievably, the game was over by the end of the first
quarter. Justice returned a punt 38 yards to the Texas 21, setting up a 20-yard Justice
to Art Weiner touchdown pass in front of the old fieldhouse.
Tom Landry, the long-time coach of the Dallas Cowboys, fumbled
the ensuing kickoff, and Carolina recovered on the Longhorn's five. Justice scored on a
short run to make it 14-0, and minutes later Justice hit Bob Cox with a 2-yard TD pass to
make it 21-0, still in the first quarter. Thirteen second-half points made the final
score 34-7 in favor of Carolina...(The writer's father often talked about that game. Dad told
me how lucky he felt to have tickets, but he was disappointed that they were in the end
zone. When Carolina scored 21 quick points right in front of him in that end zone,
he realized how fortunate he actually was.)...The Tar Heels proved that they were for real the
next Saturday in Athens, Ga. The Georgia Bulldogs led 7-0 at the half, but Justice scored
three touchdowns in the second half to lead the Heels to a 21-14 win. Justice scored
on 14 and 9-yard runs from scrimmage, then won the game on a dramatic 84-yard punt return
that stunned the Bulldog faithful. "Choo Choo" finished the game with 449 yards of
total-offense...The next Saturday Carolina got revenge for last year's loss by winning
28-6 at Wake Forest as four different Tar Heels scored touchdowns. N.C. State, with
one of the best defenses in college football, came to town the next week. The first half
was scoreless, then a 50-yard Justice run from scrimmage set up an 8-yard Hosea Rodgers
touchdown run. Justice hit Weiner with a 49-yard TD pass late in the game for the final
14-0 score. Louisiana St. visited Chapel Hill the next week
for their first-ever meeting with the Tar Heels and went home 34-7 losers.
Carolina put on an all-around offensive display. Justice combined for 209 yards running
and passing, Rodgers ran for 90 yards and Weiner gained 69 yards on five pass receptions...
Next up was a trip to Knoxville to face General Neyland's troops. Tennessee is always
a difficult place to play, and this year was no exception. A huge crowd turned out to
see Justice and the Heels, anticipating an upset by the Volunteers. It didn't happen,
as Justice hit Bill Flamis with a 3-yard scoring pass and Weiner with a 12-yard TD pass
in the first quarter. Carolina then held on for a tough 14-7 win...
Carolina returned home for a "breather" against the College of William & Mary.
The Indians normally played UNC tough, but this year they did not have one of
their better teams. The Tar Heel faithful thought they could relax a little bit this
afternoon, but it did not work out that way. Rains had made the Kenan Stadium turf
slippery, and the Heels could never get their running game in high gear. Despite recording
17 first downs to just one for the Indians, Carolina was held to a 7-7 tie.
Carolina lost three fumbles and threw four interceptions.
It was time to regroup if the Heels were to get a major bowl bid...
UNC got back on the winning track with a 49-20 win over Maryland at Griffith Stadium
in Washington, D.C. Justice threw for two touchdowns and grabbed a pass for another,
while Bill Maceyko intercepted two passes, returning one 60 yards for a score...
The 7-0-1 Heels then played host to the 4-2-2 Duke Blue Devils. The game was scoreless
for two and a half quarters, and the Kenan Stadium crowd was growing restless.
Finally, Justice gave them something to cheer about. On a first down play from the
Duke 43, Justice broke through the Duke line and weaved his way back and forth for
an unbelievable run that was one of the best of his career. Cox missed the PAT, and
it was 6-0 entering the final quarter. The Heels then went on a 43-yard drive and
basically put the game away on a 13-yard Justice to Weiner scoring pass.
Carolina got one more score on a 26-yard Hosea Rodgers to Weiner pass play in the last
minute of the game. UNC's 20-0 win stirred up all kinds of bowl speculation, but first
the Heels had to take care of Virginia...
Carolina traveled to Charlottesville with major bowl hopes on the line for the second time
in three years. UNC scored three first-half touchdowns on a 5-yard Rodgers' run,
a 40-yard Justice to Weiner pass and an 80-yard Justice run from scrimmage, but two
Virginia scores made it 21-12 at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, Justice
hit Cox with a 31-yard scoring pass, then Carolina scored once more for a 34-12 win,
a No. 3 national ranking behind Michigan and Notre Dame,
and a return trip to New Orleans...
A record crowd of 85,00 turned out to watch UNC battle Bud Wilkinson's
Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma won 14-6, as Carolina twice drove deep into Sooner territory
in the first half without scoring. UNC took the opening kickoff and drove to the OU
15-yard line, but Myrle Greathouse intercepted a short pass and returned it to the
UNC 13-yard line, setting up Jack Mitchell's two-yard scoring run. Later in the first
quarter Carolina recovered a fumble on Oklahoma's 30. The Heels scored quickly, with the
TD coming on a two-yard run by Rodgers, but Cox missed the PAT. Oklahoma scored the game's
final points on an eight-yard Lindell Pearson run. The touchdown was set up by the Sooners'
only pass completion of the day. Darrell Royal, later the head coach at Texas, hit
Frankie Anderson with a 43-yard toss that caught the Heels by surprise.
Justice finished the game with 84 yards rushing on 16 carries and
57 yards passing...
oth Justice and the great all-around end Art Weiner made first
team All-America...Justice led the nation in punting with a 44.0 average.."Choo Choo" was
responsible for 23 touchdowns (scored 11, passed for 12)...
Justice scored at least one touchdown per game in the last six games of 1947
and the first three games of 1948, the longest consecutive-game TD streak in UNC history...
UNC was third in the final AP poll. In those days the final poll was taken before
the bowl games.
1949: The Tar Heels, who lost a great deal of talent from last year's great team,
fell to a 7-3 regular season record but were still invited to
the Cotton Bowl, where a 27-13 loss to Rice gave UNC a final 7-4 record...
Carolina opened at home against N.C. State and struggled for three quarters. UNC took
a narrow 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter when Justice's sleight of hand helped break
the game open. Justice caught a punt on the UNC 37, slipped the ball to Skeet Hesmer, then
took off down the sideline with the State team in frantic pursuit. Too late, the
Wolfpack realized that Hesmer was running untouched down the other sideline, with the ball,
for a 63-yard score. Justice led UNC to a 94-yard drive on its next possession, capped off
by a 10-yard Justice run that made it 20-6. George Verchick's 10-yard interception
return gave the Heels their last score in a 26-6 win...Georgia came to Kenan Stadium the
next week, and the two teams played a thriller. The Heels took a 14-0 halftime lead
on an eight-yard Justice to Weiner toss and a 13-yard run by Justice, but the Bulldogs
would not go down easily. Georgia had cut the lead to 14-7 and forced a Tar Heel
punt late in the game. Ken McCall caught the ball on his own 12-yard line and handed it
to Eli Maracich, who stunned the Kenan Stadium crowd with an 88-yard return that
tied the score at 14-14 with just 2:20 left to play. The Tar Heels
quickly came storming back, driving quickly downfield to the UGA 33. Billy Hayes then
hit Weiner near the sideline at about the 20, and Weiner outran Maracich to the corner
of the end zone
for a 21-14 lead with 1:20 showing on the clock. The drive had taken exactly one minute.
Georgia could not respond, and Carolina found itself 2-0...
Next up was a 28-13 win at South Carolina, as Weiner caught eight passes for 137 yards.
Carolina played host to Wake Forest the next Saturday, and the game was a struggle.
The teams were tied at 14-14 after three quarters, but Justice scored two fourth-quarter
touchdowns for a 28-14 Carolina win...
UNC now faced two Southeastern Conference teams, LSU and Tennessee, and wound up losing
to both. Carolina led LSU 7-0 at halftime in Baton Rouge, La., but LSU scored in each of
the last
two quarters for a 13-7 win. Tennesse then hammered UNC 35-6 at Kenan Stadium. Justice
suffered a hairline-fracture to a rib, and Tennessee intercepted five passes on the way
to the easy win...Carolina went on the road to face always tough William & Mary with
Justice at less than full speed. W&M led 7-0 at the half, but Justice hit George Verchick
with a 21-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter. Carolina stopped the Indians
on their ensuing possession, then Justice returned a punt 75 yards for a 13-7 UNC lead.
The lead did not last as William & Mary took a 14-13 lead midway through the fourth
quarter. After an exchange of punts, Carolina went on a 59-yard scoring drive that ended
with a Billy Hayes to Weiner touchdown pass that gave Carolina a 20-14 win. The winning
drive was a costly one, as Justice chipped his right ankle on a late hit while out of
bounds...The Heels then traveled to New York to play the unbeaten Notre Dame Fighting Irish
in front of 67,000 fans at Yankee Stadium. It could have been the grandest stage on which
he ever performed, but Snavely held the injured Justice out of the game to save him for
Duke the following week. Without Justice, Notre Dame was a heavy favorite, but the Heels
kept it close for a while. The score was 6-6 at the half and just 15-6 in favor
of the Irish going into the final quarter, but Notre Dame scored 27 fourth-quarter points
for a 42-6 win. Notre Dame would finish the season 10-0 and ranked first in the nation.
The stunned Heels rode the train back to North Carolina for what would
be one of the wildest Carolina-Duke games in history...57,500 fans jammed Duke Stadium
for the 36th meeting between the two bitter rivals. Carolina was just 5-3, while the
lue Devils had a 6-2 record. Duke returned the opening kickoff to its 25, then Billy
Cox stunned the Heels with a 75-yard run for a touchdown. Kenny Powell blocked
Mike Souchak's PAT attempt for a 6-0 Duke lead. (Souchak would go on to have a successful
career on the PGA golf tour.) Carolina came back to take a 7-6 lead at the half
on a 40-yard Justice to Weiner touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Carolina then stretched the lead to 21-6 with 14 third-quarter points.
First, Carolina blocked a Duke punt out of the end zone for a safety and a 9-6 lead.
Next, Billy Hayes hit Justice with a 3-yard touchdown pass, but Abie Williams missed
the point after, and Carolina was up 15-6. A 68-yard quick quick by Justice set up UNC's
next score. Justice's punt rolled dead on the Blue Devils' one-foot line. Carolina held,
and Duke punted out to its own 33. Carolina scored in just four plays, the last a 13-yard
Justice to Weiner pass with 1:30 left in the quarter. Again, Williams missed the PAT
and it was 21-6 Carolina.
Duke immediately got back in the game, as Tom Powers ran the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards
for a touchdown that made it 21-13. Souchak then recovered a Verchick fumble on UNC's
nine-yard
line in the fourth quarter, and Cox took advantage of the Heels' miscue with a two-yard
run on fourth-and-goal from the two. Souchak's PAT pulled Duke to within one at 21-20
with 3:55 left in the game. Carolina could not get a first down on its next possession,
and Duke took over on the UNC 40 after a short punt. Duke moved to the 25, then went for
the win on a pass play, but Dick Bunting intercepted on the Heels' one-yard line.
Three plays moved the ball to the six, then Tommy Powers returned a Justice punt 17 yards
to the UNC 19 with just 20 seconds to play. Following two incomplete passes, the hands of
the old-style scoreboard clock showed four seconds remaining. Inexplicably, Referee J.D.
Rogers blew his whistle and signaled that the game was over. As fans stormed the field,
Duke protested, and the officials signaled that the game indeed was not over. After the
officials finally cleared the field, Duke lined up for what it hoped would be a
game-winning field goal by Souchak. Weiner had other plans, and the big All-America
broke through the Duke line and reached the ball almost as soon as Souchak did, smothering
the ball before it could get airborne. This time, the Tar Heel fans could legitimately
celebrate...Carolina returned to Kenan Stadium to face Virginia in Justice and Weiner's final
appearance at Kenan Stadium. Fittingly, each scored a touchdown. Justice ran 14 yards
for a TD, then hit Weiner with a 63-yard beauty for a 14-0 second quarter lead.
Carolina could not score again, and Virginia came back to put a scare in the Heels.
Virginia cut it to 14-7 in the fourth quarter, then recovered an onside kick. The
Cavaliers moved to the Tar Heel seven before the Carolina defense finally held for a
14-7 win. Immediately afer the game Carolina accepted a bid to play Rice in
the Cotton Bowl...
The game was no contest as
the fifth-ranked Owls rolled to a 27-0 lead before two late Tar Heel scores
in the final eight minutes made the final
margin 27-13. Billy Hayes rushed for 107 yards for UNC, while Justice ran for 59 yards and
passed for another 63...
Carolina fell to 16th in this year's final AP poll...
oth Justice and Weiner again made first-team All-America, with
Weiner leading the nation in receptions with 52. The Heels ended the Justice era with
a 32-7-2 record, three major bowl appearances and a multitude of thrills.
Notable: While still at Cornell, coach Snavely committed an act of sportsmanship
that would be practically unheard of today. When Snavely learned after the game that it
had taken a fifth down for his team to top Dartmouth, he wired Darmouth coach Red Blaik
and relinquished the victory...Charlie Justice ran and passed for over 4,000 yards in
his four-year career and averaged over 42 yards a punt. He had only two punts
blocked in his career and both of those were in the first game of his freshman year.
When he was done after the 1949 season, Justice had established NCAA records in
total offense and punting and was considered the greatest punter of all time...
Justice was voted MVP in the College All-Star Game at Chicago's Soldier Field the summer
after his last season. The game, which matched college all-stars against the defending
NFL champion, saw the collegians pick up a rare 17-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Justice gained 133 yards
individually, or 48 more than the Eagles...Coach Snavely uttered one of the
most understated remarks you will ever here the summer before Justice's first season,
saying "I hope he comes out for football."...
The legendary Benny Goodman and Johnny Long recorded "All The Way Choo Choo", a hot-selling
song that was co-written by Orville Campbell of the Chapel Hill News...
oth Justice and Weiner are members of the
College Football Hall of Fame...
Norm Speer, an All-America swimmer for UNC in the late 1940s,
was also a Carolina cheerleader. Speer introduced card tricks
to the Carolina student section.
The Decade By the Numbers:
Overall Record: 58-37-5
Home: 30-14-4
Away: 21-17
Neutral: 7-6-1
Longest Unbeaten Streak: 17 (Oct. 18, 1947 - Nov. 27, 1948)
Longest Losing Streak: 4 (Oct. 1, 1941 - Nov. 1, 1941)
Most Points Scored (Game): 56 in 1940. UNC 56 - Appalachian 6
Least Points Scored (Game): None 13 times
Most Points Scored (Season): 261 in 1946
Least Points Scored (Season): 33 in 1944
Most Points Allowed (Game): 52 in 1941. Tulane 52 - UNC 6
Least Points Allowed (Game): None 16 times
Most Points Allowed (Season): 178 in 1949
Least Points Allowed (Season): 80 in 1948
1940 (6-4)
Coach: Ray Wolf
Captains: Paul Severin & Gates Kimball
|
Sep 21 Appalachian W, 56-6
Sep 28 Wake Forest L, 0-12
Oct 5 v Davidson W, 27-7
Oct 12 Texas Christian W, 21-14
Oct 19 @ N.C. State W, 13-7
Oct 26 Tulane L, 13-14
Nov 2 v Fordham L, 0-14
Nov 9 @ Richmond L, 13-14
Nov 16 Duke W, 6-3
Nov 23 @ Virginia W, 10-7
------
159-98
|
1941 (3-7)
Coach: Ray Wolf
Captains: Harry Dunkle & Carl Suntheimer
|
Sep 21 Lenoir Rhyne W, 42-6
Sep 27 South Carolina L, 7-13
Oct 4 @ Davidson W, 20-0
Oct 11 Fordham L, 14-27
Oct 18 @ Tulane L, 6-52
Oct 25 @ Wake Forest L, 0-13
Nov 1 N.C. State L, 7-13
Nov 8 @ Richmond W, 27-0
Nov 15 @ Duke L, 0-20
Nov 20 Virginia L, 7-28
------
130-172
|
1942 (5-2-2)
Coach: Jim Tatum
Captains: Joe Austin & Tank Marshall
|
Sep 26 Wake Forest W, 6-0
Oct 3 South Carolina W, 18-6
Oct 10 v Fordham T, 0-0
Oct 17 Duquesne W, 13-6
Oct 24 @ Tulane L, 14-29
Oct 31 @ N.C. State L, 14-21
Nov 7 v Davidson W, 43-14
Nov 14 Duke T, 13-13
Nov 21 @ Virginia W, 28-13
------
149-102
|
1943 (6-3)
Coach: Tom Young
Captain: Craven Turner
|
Sep 25 @ Georgia Tech L, 7-20
Oct 2 Penn State W, 19-0
Oct 9 NATTC W, 23-0
Oct 16 @ Duke L, 7-14
Oct 30 N.C. State W, 27-13
Nov 6 @ South Carolina W, 21-6
Nov 13 @ Penn W, 9-6
Nov 20 Duke L, 6-27
Nov 27 v Virginia W, 54-7
------
173-93
|
1944 (1-7-1)
Coach: Gene McEver
Captain: Bobby Weant
|
Sep 23 Wake Forest L, 0-7
Sep 30 @ Army L, 0-46
Oct 7 @ Georgia Tech L, 0-28
Oct 14 Cherry Pt. Marines W, 20-14
Nov 4 South Carolina L, 0-6
Nov 11 William & Mary T, 0-0
Nov 18 @ Yale L, 6-13
Nov 25 Duke L, 0-33
Dec 2 v Virginia L, 7-26
------
33-173
|
1945 (5-5)
Coach: Carl Snavely (5-5)
Captains: Bill Voris & Bill Walker
|
Camp Lee W, 6-0
Sep 29 Georgia Tech L, 14-20
Oct 6 v Virginia Tech W, 14-0
Oct 13 @ Penn L, 0-49
Oct 20 Cherry Pt. Marines W, 20-14
Nov 3 @ Tennessee L, 6-20
Nov 10 v William & Mary W, 6-0
Nov 17 Wake Forest L, 13-14
Nov 24 @ Duke L, 7-14
Dec 1 Virginia W, 27-18
------
113-149
|
1946 (8-2-1)
Coach: Carl Snavely
Captains: Chan Highsmith & Ralph Strayhorn
|
Sep 28 Virginia Tech T, 14-14
Oct 4 @ Miami (Fla.) W, 21-0
Oct 12 Maryland W, 33-0
Oct 19 v Navy W, 21-14
Oct 26 Florida W, 40-19
Nov 2 @ Tennessee L, 14-20
Nov 9 v William & Mary W, 21-7
Nov 16 Wake Forest W, 26-14
Nov 23 Duke W, 22-7
Nov 30 @ Virginia W, 49-14
------
261-109
|
|
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. |
Jan 1 v Georgia L, 10-20
|
1947 (8-2)
Coach: Carl Snavely
Captains: George Sparger & Joe Wright
|
Sep 27 Georgia W, 14-7
Oct 4 @ Texas L, 0-34
Oct 11 Wake Forest L, 7-19
Oct 18 @ William & Mary W, 13-7
Oct 25 @ Florida W, 35-7
Nov 1 Tennessee W, 20-6
Nov 8 N.C. State W, 41-6
Nov 15 @ Maryland W, 19-0
Nov 22 @ Duke W, 21-0
Nov 29 Virginia W, 40-7
------
210-93
|
1948 (9-1-1)
Coach: Carl Snavely
Captains: Hosea Rodgers & Dan Stiegman
|
Sep 25 Texas W, 34-7
Oct 2 @ Georgia W, 21-14
Oct 9 @ Wake Forest W, 28-6
Oct 16 N.C. State W, 14-0
Oct 23 LSU W, 34-7
Oct 30 @ Tennessee W, 14-7
Nov 6 William & Mary T, 7-7
Nov 13 @ Maryland W, 49-20
Nov 20 Duke W, 20-0
Nov 27 @ Virginia W, 34-12
------
255-80
|
|
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA. |
Jan 1 v Oklahoma L, 6-14
|
1949 (7-4)
Coach: Carl Snavely
Captain: Charlie Justice
|
Sep 24 N.C. State W, 26-6
Oct 1 Georgia W, 21-14
Oct 8 @ South Carolina W, 28-13
Oct 15 Wake Forest W, 28-14
Oct 22 @ LSU L, 7-13
Oct 29 Tennessee L, 6-35
Nov 5 @ William & Mary W, 20-14
Nov 12 v Notre Dame L, 6-42
Nov 19 @ Duke W, 21-20
Nov 26 Virginia W, 14-7
------
177-178
|
|
Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas |
Jan 1 v Rice L, 13-27
|
Decade-by-Decade
1888-1899 |
1900-1909 |
1910-1919 |
1920-1929
1930-1939 |
1940-1949 |
1950-1959 |
1960-1969
1970-1979 |
1980-1989 |
1990-1998
