Lucas: Montross Day Of Service Continues To Grow
September 25, 2025 | General, Men's Basketball, Student-Athlete Development, Adam Lucas
Some friends got together for a birthday celebration this week.
There were parties all over Chapel Hill. Shirts in honor of the occasion. Lots of laughs and a few tears. And, most importantly, key work done in the Chapel Hill community to honor one of the best to ever do it.
Tuesday was the second annual Montross Day of Service, an event that originated with the Rams Club and is now spreading throughout Carolina Athletics and the community as a whole. It began simply: the Rams Club staff wanted to honor Eric Montross by spending Sept. 23, his birthday, doing community service.
“Eric left behind a legacy of compassion and service,” said Jordan Buck, who worked with the big fella for a decade at the Rams Club. “The goal of this event is carrying on that legacy and carrying on his spirit.”
Eric left behind a legacy of compassion and service. The goal of this event is carrying on that legacy and carrying on his spirit.Jordan Buck
Let's keep the good going on Montross Day of Service! ?? Some of our other stops of the day:
— The Rams Club (@TheRamsClub) September 23, 2025
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?? @TamaraLackey Beautiful Together Sanctuary
?? @unchealth Hillsborough Campus
?? @SeawellES
?? @TABLE_NC
?? Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Triangle
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But as with any good idea, it was impossible to keep it small. The event expanded this year to include at least six different Tar Heel teams working in organizations throughout Chapel Hill. The baseball team sent multiple players to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at UNC Children’s Hospital. Women’s golf volunteered at the Beautiful Together Animal Sanctuary. Men’s basketball packed emergency toiletry kits. Volleyball worked with the Magic Yarn Project at Carmichael. Women’s basketball visited Gigi’s Playhouse.
“It really reminds you how strong those kids are,” first baseman Erik Paulsen said after his visit to the Children’s Hospital—a place that was the recipient of hundreds of visits from Big Grits over the years. The baseball team’s visit included a marathon game of Uno, a brief respite from the challenges patients are facing that was ultimately interrupted by stark reality—a patient had to leave to receive treatment.
That’s the world Eric lived in almost every day, constantly finding a way to squeeze his seven-foot frame into the smallest of spaces to make sure everyone knew that he cared.
“Eric was a model of service to others, and it was an honor to do our small part in helping the community,” volleyball head coach Mike Schall said. “He was a rare athlete who combined unwavering competitiveness with unmatched kindness. That is how our team knows Eric, and it’s something we strive to emulate in our program.”
He was a rare athlete who combined unwavering competitiveness with unmatched kindness. That is how our team knows Eric, and it’s something we strive to emulate in our program.Mike Schall
Schall also hit on a key truth about the day. It was fun to see all those double-zero Montross shirts and know his legacy was spreading in Chapel Hill. But it was likewise really sad not to have him there explaining that he was “six-foot-12” to awed bystanders or getting down on one knee to introduce himself to a speechless child.
“It was an emotional day,” Schall said. “I personally miss his presence as I know so many others do as well.”
That’s very much the reality of the last two years. There are days when there are happy memories and gratitude for having known someone who consistently made the world a better place. There are also days when it’s infuriating and makes no sense that he isn’t here. There’s no calendar for which days are which. And some days, it’s both.
Today, the impact made on the community by Tar Heels in honor of Big E was immense.
— The Rams Club (@TheRamsClub) September 23, 2025
On behalf of The Rams Club and the Montross Family, we want to thank everyone that volunteered with local organizations or spread kindness in your community on this year’s Montross Day of… pic.twitter.com/aM2deMhlxt
Overwhelmingly, though, Tuesday felt like a day Eric would have greatly enjoyed. And why not? It featured all his friends serving with projects that mattered to him.
The event has become so big it can’t be contained in one day. Along with Laura Montross, a group from the men’s basketball office—including the entire roster of coaches’ wives—cooked and served dinner to residents at the SECU House on Monday night. They made it a theme night, as they prepared all of Eric’s favorite meals, including his homemade whipped cream.
It would have made Eric incredibly proud that so many people were being helped. It also would have delighted him that—not naming names—certain individuals couldn’t reach the top shelf to put the cups away at the SECU House.
And that’s what the day was about. Doing some good, but also sharing fun memories.
“Eric set a tremendous example for us in all that he did in the community,” Rams Club executive director Seth Reeves said. “His generosity was evident every day. We want to model that every day, and specifically on the 23rd of September.”
(Eric's) generosity was evident every day. We want to model that every day, and specifically on the 23rd of September.Seth Reeves