North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the sport of American football . The Tar Heels compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . In Carolina ' s first 121 seasons of football competition , the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646 – 488 – 54 , a winning percentage of . 566 . Carolina has played in 29 bowl games in its history and won three Southern Conference championships and five Atlantic Coast Conference titles . Thirty Tar Heel players have been honored as first - team All - Americas on 38 occasions . Carolina had 32 All - Southern Conference selections when it played in that league until 1952 and since joining the ACC in 1953 , has had 174 first - team All - ACC choices . The team ' s most recent bowl appearance came in the 2010 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl with a double overtime win against the Tennessee Volunteers ; the final score was 30 - 27 . Since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953 , the team has won five conference championships , with the most recent title coming in 1980 . One very important contribution to the game of football by North Carolina is the modern use of the forward pass ; they were the first college team to use the play in 1895 . Bob Quincy notes in his 1973 book They Made the Bell Tower Chime : " John Heisman , a noted historian , wrote 30 years later that , indeed , the Tar Heels had given birth to the forward pass against the Bulldogs ( UGA ) . It was conceived to break a scoreless deadlock and give UNC a 6 – 0 win . The Carolinians were in a punting situation and a Georgia rush seemed destined to block the ball . The punter , with an impromptu dash to his right , tossed the ball and it was caught by George Stephens , who ran 70 yards for a touchdown . ” While not a consistent football powerhouse , the North Carolina football program has had intermittent success and has featured a number of great players , many of whom have gone on to prominence in the National Football League , including Lawrence Taylor , Charlie Justice , Chris Hanburger , Ken Willard , Don McCauley , Jeff Saturday , Alge Crumpler , Willie Parker , Greg Ellis , Dré Bly , Julius Peppers , and Hakeem Nicks . Rivalries . Duke Blue Devils . The football rivalry between Duke and North Carolina began in 1888 , when Duke was known by the name of Trinity . Trinity won the first game in the now - longstanding series . While the two teams are more known for their basketball rivalry , they have been known to have some great games every now and then . The Victory Bell was introduced for the 1948 match - up , which North Carolina won 20 - 0 . It ' s tradition for the school that has possession of the bell to paint the bell in the shade of blue of their school . The longest consecutive win streak in the series is a 13 game win streak by the Tar Heels from 1990 - 2002 . The all - time series record is 55 - 35 - 4 ( excluding the two Carolina vacated victories ) . North Carolina State Wolfpack . The first football game between the NC State Wolfpack and the Tar Heels occurred in 1894 , and the Tar Heels won 44 - 0 . The two teams played every now and then until the formation of the ACC . Since the two teams have been apart of the ACC , they have played every year since 1953 . In the past few years , the rivalry has been more highly contested than the Tar Heels rivalry with Duke . The 1998 and 1999 games were held at Bank of America Stadium , the Tar Heels won both games . The longest consecutive win streak in the series is 9 games , from 1943 - 1955 by the Tar Heels . The Tar Heels have currently lost five straight to the Wolfpack , matching a five - game losing streak from 1988 - 92 . The all - time series is 63 - 32 - 6 in favor of the Tar Heels . Virginia Cavaliers . The Tar Heels ' rivalry with the Virginia Cavaliers began in 1892 , and the rivalry has come to be known as the " South ' s Oldest Rivalry . " The teams played twice during the 1892 season , with the Cavaliers winning the first game and the Tar Heels winning the second . The two teams have played a total of 116 times , more than the two teams have played any other program . It is the fourth most played rivalry game among college football ' s major conference schools . The all - time series record is 58 – 54 – 4 , in favor of the Tar Heels . NCAA Investigation 2010 - 2011 . In July 2010 , it was reported that the program was being investigated by the NCAA due to possible connections with sport agents . The football program was also under investigation for academic fraud and a failure to properly monitor players , which the NCAA found to be true . Seven players from the UNC football program , including starters and once top recruits Greg Little and Marvin Austin , were reported to have accepted more than $ 27 , 000 in impermissible benefits in 2009 and 2010 . Following an NCAA investigation into misconduct , in July 2011 , head coach Butch Davis was fired and replaced by interim coach Everett Withers . Also , in September 2011 , the program decided to vacate all its wins from the 2008 and 2009 seasons , reduce its scholarship athletes by 3 , begin serving two years of probation , and pay a $ 50 , 000 fine . The NCAA later increased the penalties to a reduction of athletic scholarships by 15 , three years of probation , and a post - season ban of one year . Bowl History . Bowl Record . North Carolina has played in 29 bowl games in its history with a record of 13 – 16 . 1947 Sugar Bowl . The 1947 Sugar Bowl , which pitted the Tar Heels against the Georgia Bulldogs , took place on January 1 , 1947 . The game was played in Tulane Stadium , which was located in New Orleans , Louisiana . Through the first quarter of play the game remained scoreless . Bob Mitten , a Carolina defensive player , intercepted a Bulldog pass , which eventually led to the first score in the Sugar Bowl . North Carolina scored first , in the second quarter of play , off a 4 yard run by Walt Pupa . After the successful PAT , the score was 7 - 0 in favor of North Carolina . The score remained that way until halftime . In the third period , Georgia ' s defensive right end , Joe Tereshinski intercepted a Tar Heel pass , on the Georgia 24 yard line . Tereshinki the lateraled the ball to his teammate , Dick McPhee who ran 52 yards , being tackled on the Carolina 14 yard line . The Tar Heels argued that the lateral was a forward lateral , but the referees thought otherwise . The Bulldogs capitalized on the turnover , by scoring on a 1 yard quarterback sneak , executed by Johnny Rauch . North Carolina retaliated with a 27 yard field goal , kicked by Bob Cox . North Carolina regained the lead , 10 - 7 . Less than three minutes later , after the UNC score , the Bulldogs scored off a 67 yard pass from Trippi to Dan Edwards . However , the PAT was missed , leaving the score at 13 - 10 in favor of the Bulldogs . In the fourth quarter , Johnny Rauch scored the final touchdown of the game , this time off a 13 yard run . With the made PAT , the score was 20 - 10 in favor of the Georgia Bulldogs . The Tar Heels lost their first bowl game . 1949 Sugar Bowl . < br > < br > < br > < br > 1950 Cotton Bowl . < br > < br > < br > < br > 1963 Gator Bowl . < br > < br > < br > < br > 2011 Independence Bowl . The Independence Bowl marked the final game for head coach Everette Withers at UNC . Notable Players . All - Americans . ( * ) Denotes First Team All - American Jersey Honorings . Honored jerseys . Around the front of second tier of stands in Kenan Stadium , there are strips of metal with names of former Tar Heel footballers with their numbers , these are the honored jerseys .