University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Walking the Walk
November 12, 2005 | Football
Nov. 12, 2005
By Adam Lucas
The bus is completely silent except for the few snippets of music that can be heard seeping out from players' headphones. Except for a brief moment of strategy talk with defensive ends coach Brad Lawing, who is seated across the aisle from him on the front row of the bus, John Bunting has been silent for the entire 9-mile bus ride. His coat is folded on the seat next to him, a bottle of water in his hands.
The bus motors past the fire station on 54, past Meadowmont, past Glen Lennox. The oversized front windows of the bus are about one-third covered by shades designed to decrease the glare.
Suddenly, as the bus begins to wind up the slow incline that leads to campus, Bunting leans forward.
"Mr. Bus Driver, sir," he says. "Would you please raise the window shades? This is a great picture, man."
The bus driver complies. The shades are raised. And suddenly, there is Chapel Hill. There are the trees that have turned the perfect shades of red and yellow. There are the people tailgating in the Highway 54 lot. There are the car flags on the Ford Explorer next to the bus.
"This is one of my favorite parts of coming into Chapel Hill," Bunting says as the bus approaches the right turn near the School of Government. "This drive right here. There's nothing better than this."
This is John Bunting on a game day, just minutes before his team's fifth Old Well Walk of the season prior to Saturday's game against Maryland. The morning begins for the team at a hotel in the Research Triangle Park. With a noon kickoff, meetings begin early. Carolina fans and Maryland fans mix in the lobby. Bunting, Brad Lawing, and Ken Browning stand outside a side entrance just a few minutes before departure. A red SUV drives by. The window rolls down. A man in a bright red t-shirt with the familiar turtle logo leans out. "Boooo!" he says.
Bunting smiles.
A few moments later, another SUV drives by. This one has Carolina magnets on the side and car flags on the windows. The window rolls down. A woman leans out. "Let's go, JB!" she says. "We'll see you at the Old Well Walk! Good luck!"
Bunting smiles.
"See you there!" he booms. "Thanks for coming!"
The bus ride is quiet. The offense is on one bus, the defense on another. Bunting, as always, rides with the defense. The buses pull up next to the Old Well. Just before the players disembark, Bunting grabs his coat and stands at the front of the bus.
"Defense!" he booms. "Let's have a good game! Let's tackle the catch. Let's get after their quarterback. Let's get after number-44. Let's make the play. Tackle. The. Catch."
The players disembark on the side opposite from where hundreds of Tar Heel fans have lined the sidewalk to the Kenan Football Center. Bunting's wife, Dawn, is waiting, along with a handful of other friends of the program. A few of the assistant coaches grab their children to make the walk--Dave Brock holds his daughter Kate's hand, Hal Hunter is joined by his two sons.
Walking through the doubles lines of blue-clad fans, you don't hear many specific comments. Instead, it's a wall of noise, a "Go Heels!" here and a "Beat Maryland!" there. Fans who know coaches or players personally usually have to shout at least twice to be heard. You don't really have a chance to see individual faces, you're just cognizant that the usually green surroundings of Polk Place are now awash in blue. Players beam when they near the street--a group of fans have made signs for every player, blue pieces of posterboard with their name and a pair of action photos.
Bunting, of course, hears everything and sees everyone. He shakes every hand, gives every high-five, responds to every fan. No one who addresses him is left without a, "Thanks for coming." One man, who has a Carolina tie, a Carolina handkerchief on his head, Carolina suspenders, and a Carolina shirt, is already in game shape. "Let's! Go! Heels!" he keeps yelling, and the intensity on his face makes you wonder if he'll be able to make it to the noon kickoff.
The band strikes up near Wilson Library and the head coach can't help himself, he's clapping his hands. Traffic is stopped near the Bell Tower, which is chiming the fight song, and students from Carolina Fever line the brick path as the team begins to make the walk down the hill to the entrance of the Football Center.
As he prepares to enter the building, Bunting exhales. He looks around, pulls his jacket over his shoulders.
"Man," he says. "This is great."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
