>

South's Oldest Rivalry
North Carolina Tar Heels North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. 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...	Virginia Cavaliers Virginia Cavaliers football Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
First game played	1892
Played annually since	1919
Games played	116 (through 2011)
Series record	North Carolina leads,
Largest margin of victory	Virginia 66–0 (November 26, 1912)
Highest scoring game	Virginia 56-24 (September 11, 2004)
Lowest scoring game	Tie 0–0 (November 29, 1923)
Most recent game	North Carolina 28–17 (September 17, 2011)
Next game
Current win streak	North Carolina 2

The South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 rivalry

College rivalry

Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically...

 game played annually by the Virginia Cavaliers football

Virginia Cavaliers football

Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 team of the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 and the North Carolina Tar Heels football

North Carolina Tar Heels football

The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. 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...

 team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

. Both universities are currently members of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlantic Coast Conference

The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

 (ACC), but the Cavaliers and Tar Heels played their first football game in 1892, over sixty years before the formation of the ACC.

Series history

Long being the most played game among all Football Bowl Subdivision series in the Southeastern United States

Southeastern United States

The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....

, it has become known over the years simply as the South's Oldest Rivalry. It is also the oldest series in this highest division on the Atlantic coast

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

. The 2010 meeting marked the 115th edition of this game (played continuously since 1919), five more than the Army–Navy Game (played continuously since 1930), and one more than the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" (Georgia–Auburn

Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia...

, played continuously since 1944).

The game was first played in 1892, twice (Virginia won the first, and North Carolina the second). It is the 4th most played rivalry game among college football's BCS conference

BCS conference

An Automatic Qualifying conference is an athletic conference in NCAA Division I FBS whose champion receives an automatic berth in one of the five Bowl Championship Series bowl games...

 schools, behind three midwestern

Midwestern United States

The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....

 or Texan

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 rivalries: Paul Bunyan's Axe

Paul Bunyan's Axe

Paul Bunyan's Axe, named after the mythical giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan, is a prize awarded every year to the winner of the college football game between Minnesota and Wisconsin.-History:...

 (Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

–Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Madison

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...

), Border War (Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

–Missouri

University of Missouri

The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

) and Lone Star Showdown (Texas

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

–Texas A&M

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

).

Virginia and North Carolina have faced each other more times, 116, than they have faced any other program. Second-most played is 103 for North Carolina versus Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 58–54–4, but Virginia is 20–8–1 in the rivalry since 1983. In 2010 UNC broke a long losing streak in Charlottesville with a 44-10 victory. It was UNC's first road win in the series since 1981, ending what many UNC fans mockingly described as the "Charlottesville Curse." The two teams most recently met on September 17, 2011 in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. UNC posted a 28-17 victory and beat Virginia for the 1st time, in two consecutive season, since 1982.

Nature of the Rivalry

There is considerable historical lineage and academic standing between the two universities involved. The University of Virginia was founded by third President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 and founding father Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

 whereas the University of North Carolina was the first operational state university in the United States & alma-mater of U.S President, James K Polk and literary writer Thomas Wolfe. When the Richard Moll book listing the original eight "Public Ivies

Public Ivy

Public Ivy is a term coined by Richard Moll in his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities to refer to universities which "provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price." Public Ivies are considered, according to the...

" (public colleges with high academic and tough admissions standards) was published in 1985, there were only two sharing a common athletic conference: the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina.

In addition, the rivalry is also nicknamed the "Gentlemen's Rivalry." One reason for this moniker is the prestigous image, both academically & socially, of both universities. Both institutions' student bodies tend to mirror one another from a social & academic standpoint. Another and maybe more truthful reason is the stereotypical image of both schools' football fanbases as being a very subdued and mannerd crowd, who tend to do more socializing over wine-n-cheese than trying to create a rowdy atmosphere for their respective home football games. Wearing a tie and blazer is not uncommon to see on both campuses.

As for today and recent decades, the rivalry has been lackluster and less heated despite a few historical firsts. Last season, former UNC coach Butch Davis ended a 14 year drought and won in Charlottesville (44-10), officially ending "the 'Curse" (commonly referred to), and was UNC's first victory in Charlottesville since 1981. UNC also beat UVa the following season in 2011 to win 2 straight in the series, which had not been done by a UNC football team since the mid '70's into the early '80's, when Carolina won 9 straight and dominated the series. In addition, when UNC coach Mack Brown took over the Carolina program in the late 1980's and had very successful recruiting efforts, especially in the talent rich Tidewater (VA) area throughout the '90's, the rivalry really hit its peak when highly rated (VA) prospect Ronald Curry committed to North Carolina over Virginia.

"Benedict Ronald"

Widely considered the best high school football player of all time from the state of Virginia, and the only junior ever to be named the nation's top high school quarterback by USA Today

USA Today

USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

, Ronald Curry

Ronald Curry

Ronald Antonio Curry is an American football wide receiver, currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at North Carolina....

 announced a verbal commitment to George Welsh's Virginia program on September 4, 1997 during ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 coverage of that night's game between Virginia and Auburn. With the commitment from Curry, Welsh was not able to recruit Michael Vick

Michael Vick

Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...

, whose stellar career in the same high school district was largely overshadowed by Curry's. While Curry's high school football coach, 12-time state champion Mike Smith, was happy that Curry would attend Virginia, Curry's AAU basketball coach Boo Williams told Curry he should decommit and go to a "basketball school" like North Carolina to get a better shot at the NBA.

Curry decommitted from Virginia and signed a letter of intent to North Carolina in April 1998. Meanwhile Michael Vick had signed with another major football rival of Virginia

Commonwealth Cup

The Commonwealth Cup is an American college football rivalry game played between the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia and the Virginia Tech Hokies football team of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Typically, this series is played on a Saturday...

, Virginia Tech. This made Curry a very unpopular figure among Virginia fans, who referred to him by such terms as "Benedict Curry", "Benedict Ronald", or "WHN" (an abbreviation of "What's his name?"), and he won the "Sports Jerk of the Year" award for his actions in the nationally syndicated Tank McNamara

Tank McNamara

Tank McNamara is a daily syndicated comic strip written by Jeff Millar and illustrated by Bill Hinds. The strip debuted in 1974.The title character is a local sports television reporter who used to be a defensive lineman in the National Football League, hence his name...

 comic strip.

Curry went on to become the career passing yards and total yards leader at UNC, but he was 1–3 against Virginia in the South's Oldest Rivalry. Curry's first trip to Charlottesville was greeted by much pre-game hype. Curry was soundly booed by the Scott Stadium crowd during his time on the field, and senior Oscar Davenport took most of the snaps at quarterback for UNC, going 18-of-33 for 227 yards in a 30-13 loss. UNC's sole victory against Virginia during Curry's time as a Tar Heel came when he was a senior in 2001, when he also split time at quarterback (with freshman Darian Durant

Darian Durant

Darian Bernard Durant is a professional American football quarterback who plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League . He played college football at the University of North Carolina...

). Curry did contribute one of the biggest plays in the 2001 game, a 66-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sam Aiken that gave UNC a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Curry finished 3-of-5 passing for 81 yards and rushed seven times for 39 more. Since the day Curry decommitted from Virginia and signed with UNC, the Heels have a 4–10 record (as of 2011) against the Cavaliers.

Curry also started two years at guard for North Carolina's basketball team and reached the Final Four with the Tar Heels in 2000. But he never played in the NBA. He spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders as a wide receiver, catching 193 career passes for 2,347 yards and 13 touchdowns and played in one Super Bowl.

Famous Spectators

Probably the most famous spectator of this rivalry was present on Thanksgiving Day 1928. United States President Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

 and First Lady Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge were among the 20,000 spectators watching the game at Charlottesville to see North Carolina win 24–20 over Virginia.

Game results

Below are the results of all 115 meetings.

South's Oldest Rivalry
Date	Year	Location	Winner	Score
Oct. 22	1892	Charlottesville Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...	Virginia	30–18
Nov. 26	1892	Atlanta, GA Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...	North Carolina	26–0
Nov. 30	1893	Richmond, VA Richmond, Virginia Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...	Virginia	16–0
Nov. 22	1894	Richmond, VA	Virginia	34–0
Nov. 28	1895	Richmond, VA	Virginia	6–0
Nov. 26	1896	Richmond, VA	Virginia	46–0
Nov. 22	1897	Richmond, VA	Virginia	12–0
Nov. 24	1898	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	6–2
Nov. 24	1900	Norfolk, VA Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....	Virginia	17–0
Nov. 23	1901	Richmond, VA	Virginia	23–6
Nov. 27	1902	Richmond, VA	Tie Game	12–12
Nov. 25	1903	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	16–0
Nov. 24	1904	Richmond, VA	Virginia	12–11
Nov. 30	1905	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	17–0
Oct. 26	1907	Richmond, VA	Virginia	9–4
Nov. 26	1908	Richmond, VA	Virginia	31–0
Nov. 24	1910	Richmond, VA	Virginia	7–0
Nov. 30	1911	Richmond, VA	Virginia	28–0
Nov. 26	1912	Richmond, VA	Virginia	66–0
Nov. 27	1913	Richmond, VA	Virginia	26–7
Nov. 26	1914	Richmond, VA	Virginia	20–3
Nov. 25	1915	Richmond, VA	Virginia	14–0
Nov. 30	1916	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	7–0
Nov. 27	1919	Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...	North Carolina	6–0
Nov. 24	1920	Charlottesville	Virginia	14–0
Nov. 24	1921	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	7–3
Nov. 30	1922	Charlottesville	North Carolina	10–7
Nov. 29	1923	Chapel Hill	Tie Game	0–0
Nov. 27	1924	Charlottesville	Virginia	7–0
Nov. 26	1925	Chapel Hill	Tie Game	3–3
Nov. 25	1926	Charlottesville	Virginia	3–0
Nov. 24	1927	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	14–13
Nov. 29	1928	Charlottesville	North Carolina	24–20
Nov. 25	1929	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	41–7
Nov. 27	1930	Charlottesville	North Carolina	41–0
Nov. 26	1931	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	13–6
Nov. 24	1932	Charlottesville	Virginia	14–7
Nov. 30	1933	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	14–0
Nov. 29	1934	Washington DC	North Carolina	25–6
Nov. 24	1935	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	61–0
Nov. 26	1936	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	59–14
Nov. 25	1937	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	40–0
Nov. 24	1938	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	20–0
Nov. 30	1939	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	19–0
Nov. 23	1940	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	10–7
Nov. 20	1941	Norfolk, VA	Virginia	28–7
Nov. 21	1942	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	28–13
Nov. 27	1943	Charleston, WV Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...	North Carolina	54–7
Dec. 2	1944	Norfolk, VA	Virginia	26–7
Dec. 1	1945	Charleston, WV	North Carolina	27–18
Nov. 30	1946	Roanoke, VA Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...	North Carolina	49–14
Nov. 29	1947	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	40–7
Nov. 27	1948	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	34–12
Nov. 1	1949	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	14–7
Dec. 2	1950	Roanoke, VA	Virginia	44–13
Nov. 10	1951	Charlottesville	Virginia	34–13
Nov. 4	1952	Chapel Hill	Virginia	34–17
Nov. 21	1953	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	33–7
Nov. 20	1954	Charlottesville	North Carolina	26–14
Nov. 21	1955	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	21–14
Nov. 10	1956	Charlottesville	Virginia	Forfeit
Nov. 30	1957	Chapel Hill	Virginia	20–13
Nov. 8	1958	Charlottesville	North Carolina	42–0
Nov. 14	1959	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	41–0
Nov. 26	1960	Charlottesville	North Carolina	35–8
Dec. 2	1961	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	24–0
Nov. 10	1962	Charlottesville	North Carolina	11–7
Sep. 21	1963	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	11–7
Nov. 14	1964	Charlottesville	Virginia	31–27
Oct. 2	1965	Chapel Hill	Virginia	21–17
Nov. 26	1966	Chapel Hill	Virginia	21–14
Nov. 11	1967	Charlottesville	Virginia	40–17
Nov. 9	1968	Chapel Hill	Virginia	41–6
Nov. 1	1969	Charlottesville	North Carolina	12–0
Oct. 31	1970	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	19–0
Nov. 1	1971	Charlottesville	North Carolina	32–20
Nov. 11	1972	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	23–3
Nov. 3	1973	Charlottesville	Virginia	44–40
Nov. 11	1974	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	24–10
Oct. 4	1975	Charlottesville	North Carolina	31–28
Nov. 13	1976	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	31–6
Nov. 12	1977	Charlottesville	North Carolina	35–14
Nov. 18	1978	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	38–20
Nov. 17	1979	Charlottesville	North Carolina	13–7
Nov. 15	1980	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	26–3
Nov. 14	1981	Charlottesville	North Carolina	17–14
Nov. 13	1982	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	27–14
Nov. 12	1983	Charlottesville	Virginia	17–14
Nov. 17	1984	Chapel Hill	Tie Game	24–24
Nov. 16	1985	Charlottesville	Virginia	24–22
Nov. 15	1986	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	27–7
Nov. 14	1987	Charlottesville	Virginia	20–17
Nov. 12	1988	Chapel Hill	Virginia	27–24
Oct. 14	1989	Charlottesville	Virginia	50–17
Nov. 10	1990	Chapel Hill	Virginia	24–10
Oct. 19	1991	Charlottesville	Virginia	14–9
Oct. 17	1992	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	27–17
Oct. 23	1993	Charlottesville	Virginia	17–10
Oct. 22	1994	Charlottesville	Virginia	34–10
Oct. 7	1995	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	22–17
Nov. 16	1996	Charlottesville	Virginia	20–17
Sep. 27	1997	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	48–20
Nov. 14	1998	Charlottesville	Virginia	30–13
Sep. 4	1999	Chapel Hill	Virginia	20–17
Nov. 14	2000	Charlottesville	Virginia	17–6
Oct. 13	2001	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	30–24
Oct. 19	2002	Charlottesville	Virginia	37–27
Oct. 4	2003	Chapel Hill	Virginia	38–13
Sep. 11	2004	Charlottesville	Virginia	56–24
Oct. 22	2005	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	7–5
Oct. 19	2006	Charlottesville	Virginia	23–0
Sep. 15	2007	Chapel Hill	Virginia	22–20
Oct. 18	2008	Charlottesville	Virginia	16–13 (OT)
Oct. 3	2009	Chapel Hill	Virginia	16–3
Oct. 16	2010	Charlottesville	North Carolina	44-10
Sept. 17	2011	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	28-17

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia...

 (Auburn-Georgia) may eventually surpass "South's Oldest Rivalry" (UNC-Virginia) in number of games played due to the conference expansion of the SEC

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 and ACC conferences. With the possibility of a same-season rematch in the SEC Championship, Auburn and Georgia can play a second game in the same season; North Carolina and Virginia, however, are in the same division of the ACC, making a similar North Carolina vs. Virginia ACC Championship matchup impossible. Currently the UVA-UNC series leads the AUB-UGA series by one game. However, because the UVA-UNC series kept playing through World War II, it will be very difficult for AUB-UGA to surpass the rivalry in consecutive years played. Chronologically, Auburn-Georgia is the oldest rivalry in the South. Auburn-Georgia was first played on February 20, 1892. UNC-Virginia was first played eight months and three days later on October 22, 1892.