University of North Carolina Athletics
What's New in 2005
August 29, 2005 | Football
Aug. 29, 2005
by Lee Pace, Extra Points
What's new around Kenan Stadium and Tar Heel football on the doorstep of the 2005 season:
The columns supporting the upper deck on the west side of the stadium (nearest the Kenan Football Center) are now decorated with images and numbers of some of Carolina's greatest football players. They will help make a more dramatic impression looking at the stadium from the Bell Tower parking lot.
The numbers of the Honored Jerseys on the fascia of the upper deck have been replaced with a permanent wrapping that pays tribute to those players and lists all of Carolina's bowl appearances.
And the portals to each seating section within the stadium are adorned with graphics highlighting great moments and interesting facts about Carolina and its football program.
"We've been looking for several years at ways to dress Kenan Stadium up a little but not take away from its natural beauty," says Norwood Teague, Carolina's associate athletic director for sports marketing. "I think our fans will like what we've done. Our theme for a couple of years has been, `Turn It Blue,' and this project adds some color to the stadium."
The project was designed and executed by Rainier Industries, a firm Teague knew from his tenure in marketing at Arizona State University. Rainier specializes in high-impact, large-scale graphics and has been responsible for upfitting Sun Devil Stadium for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
The contents have been updated on an annual basis but during the 2005 off-season have received a complete overhaul and expansion. The "This Is Carolina Football" piece is guaranteed to give any Tar Heel fan a rash of goose bumps. There are individual pieces on each position on the team (i.e., running backs, quarterbacks, offensive line, etc.), as well as features on coaches, bowl appearances, Carolina's deep NFL connection and record-setting QB Darian Durant.
The theatre is located in the Charlie Justice Hall of Honor. The museum area is open two hours before home games until 30 minutes before kick-off. It's also open during business hours Monday through Friday. Weekday parking is available in the new Ramshead lot at the east end of Kenan Stadium.
Rick Steinbacher will assume the lead color analyst job for football (Eric Montross will fill the same role for basketball), and Jones Angell will be the host for the pre-game, halftime and post-game segments of the broadcasts. Steinbacher was a Tar Heel linebacker from 1990-93 and was the sideline reporter from 1994-99. He joined the football staff as director of football operations in 2000 and gave up his broadcast responsibilities.
But over five years he has settled into his job in football operations and noticed that his largest chunk of "down time" was the three and a half hours during a game.
"All I do during the games is pace the sidelines and be nervous," Steinbacher says. "Now I can serve a useful purpose. I think I can bring something to the broadcasts. I'm thankful for the opportunity and think it will be a lot of fun."
Sanders will call the defensive signals from the sideline, with Browning on the field alongside. Brad Lawing, the defensive ends coach, and Thigpen will coach from upstairs. On offense, coordinator Gary Tranquill will call the game from the box as usual.
Matt Baker is the quarterback. Ben Lemming and Steven Bell are competing for the center's job. Rikki Cook is the fullback and Barrington Edwards the tailback. All eyes are on these four key positions. They are the newest of the new.
Send your questions about Tar Heel football to Lee Pace at lpace@nc.rr.com . Please include your first and last names and hometown. Individual replies are not possible because of volume of mail received. His Q&A column will appear each Friday during the season.
