University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Bunting's Intensity Defines Training Camp
August 13, 2001 | Football
Aug. 13, 2001
By Adam Lucas
TarHeelBlue.com
Not everything about North Carolina football is completely different in 2001.
Gunter Brewer still sports his floppy hat, Ken Browning can still coach any position on the football field brilliantly and it's still hot in North Carolina in August.
But something has unmistakably changed.
Brandon Russell is running post patterns, Pink Floyd music is blaring during practices and John Bunting has placed Oklahoma on the 2001 schedule. But those aren't the biggest changes.
The biggest difference in North Carolina football became apparent last Saturday after the first full practice of the fall. Oppressive heat hadn't yet taken over in Chapel Hill, and Bunting was barely sweating in his long-sleeved gray t-shirt.
After practice, a group of reporters crowded around Bunting, trying to get his thoughts on his team. An innocent question about an offensive lineman suddenly turned into a lesson on the attitude expected of Tar Heel football.
The question was about left tackle Greg Woofter's task of going up against All-American defensive end Julius Peppers every day in practice. It was an easy question, because it came with everything except a laugh track. Media-savvy coaches love questions like that, because it allows them to flash a quick wit.
The expected response was along the lines of, "Hey, I wouldn't want to be Woofter. I feel sorry for the guy and sure hope Pep doesn't break him in half."
That was the expected response. The actual response was quite different.
"Oh my God, I'd love to be Greg Woofter," Bunting said. "Wouldn't you?"
Well, no, only because I have this phobia of being flattened by a 6-foot-6, 285-pound man described by his teammates as a freak of nature. But Bunting's message was clear--the Tar Heels want to battle the best as frequently as possible.
That's a good thing, because season-opening opponent Oklahoma is the best. Playing a road game at Maryland under a first-year coach wasn't tough enough for the new head Tar Heel. He wanted the best.
Bunting spoke last week of having seen the Sooners play in the very first college football game he remembered watching.
"The first game I ever saw was Oklahoma beating the mess out of Maryland at Maryland," he said. "I saw Oklahoma players, as they got up off the ground, sticking their fists right in the Maryland players' chests as they were getting up."
Ordinarily, coaches try to avoid teams like that, not line up a road game there as the season opener.
Talking to him, you get the feeling that Bunting might have helped himself up off the ground in a similar fashion when he was a Tar Heel linebacker. He has been too frequently described with the same word, but until a suitable synonym for "intense" is found, that will continue to be the adjective of choice.
That intensity translates to the practice field, where an entirely different vibe emanates from Navy Field.
During one practice, a receiver lollygagged on his way back to the huddle. Unfortunately for that receiver, Bunting happened to be watching.
"Do not walk," he thundered. "Run! Run back to the huddle!" In case his pupil was a visual learner instead of auditory, Bunting fired his clipboard into the air and proceeded to demonstrate just what pace of running he desired.
Message received.
How intense is this guy? He wants fight from every aspect of the Carolina program, including the much-maligned fans.
"I want to see people in the stands when the players come out to play the game," he said. "I want to see the fans show up to fight for 60 minutes and stay in the stands."
This statement was delivered with a menacing growl. You got the feeling that if any fans show up without the requisite fight, they will have one very angry ex-Eagles linebacker to tangle with.
John Bunting is not going to win over a dinner audience with a stand-up comedy routine, although he does do a mean Bill Dooley impression. But he'll also make sure that no comedy takes place on the football field, a place where the Heels have suffered some embarrassing recent losses.
He's not here to "give it our best," "try 110 percent," or "learn something from the loss." He's here to win.
And to make sure that every day, every single player wants to be Greg Woofter.
ALSO BY ADAM LUCAS
Adam Lucas is the co-publisher of Basketball America. He is a lifelong observer of UNC sports and can be reached at JAdamLucas@aol.com.
