Upon finishing my first year at the greatest university on Earth, I've had time to reflect on everything I've learned this year. Among calculus, English, how to replace your OneCard (twice) and lots of other useful tid-bits, I've come to the realization that I still don't really know what a Tar Heel is. Sure, my fellow classmates and I are surely Tar Heels (born, bred, dead!), but what does the term really mean, and what is its origin?
When I first announced my acceptance to UNC last year the one comment all of my non-North Carolinian family and friends had was, "Wait...what's a Tar Heel?", and I really didn't have a good answer! UNC's mascot is the notoriously spirited Ramses so why aren't we the rams? The Ramses-es? The Ramii? Where does the Tar Heel come into play? I sought to find out.
According to Wikipedia, a Tar Heel is simply a nickname for North Carolinians, and UNC's many "athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans". The terms origin lies in the tar that came from North Carolina's vast pine forests and that once served as the state's main export in it's colonial beginnings. Once considered derogatory, the term is now widely accepted and proudly owned by North Carolinians.
Another possible origin dates back to the Civil War and General Robert E. Lee. When battles become tough and soldiers contemplated abandoning their comrades, a group of men threatened to put tar on the heels of the soldiers going against their army, marking them and slowing them down. This prompted Lee to exclaim, "God bless the Tar Heel boys!".
Regardless of the origin of the term "Tar Heel", the nickname has stuck and there are now hundreds of thousands of proud Tar Heels all over the world. So what does a Tar Heel look like?
Nobel Prize winner Aziz Sancar
Michael Jordan
Thousands of students rejoicing over a Dook victory
And yes, even Ramses is a Tar Heel!
This information has given me somewhat of an answer to the never ending question: "Wait...what's a Tar Heel?", but the exact definition is still up in the air.
While I'm still not entirely sure what a Tar Heel is, I am entirely sure that there's nothing else I'd rather be.
