North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State. Being the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina system, the campus at Chapel Hill is referred to as the University of North Carolina for the purposes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Tar Heels are commonly referred to as Carolina, North Carolina, UNC, or simply The Heels. The mascot of the Tar Heels is Rameses, a Bighorn Ram. It is represented as either a live Dorset sheep with its horns painted Carolina Blue, or as a costumed character performed by a volunteer from the student body, usually an undergraduate student associated with the cheer leading team. North Carolina has won 38 team national championships in six different sports, eighth all-time, and 51 individual national championships.