Great UNC/Duke Rivalry Story

[FerryFor50]

Taken from the ICMeltdown Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/ICMeltdown


Speaking of Duke/UNC, let me share a longish story of being an outsider and coming into the rivalry. This story is from a friend of mine.

She was from Northern Ireland, but she would call herself!Irish not British. Accepted to Duke's LLM program with 85 international students.

Herself and 2 new friends (one from Hungary the other from turkey) attend a orientation event where they get duke hats. Tshirts. Caps. Etc

Being new & foreign they wear all this new Duke gear & decide to go for a drink. Google good places for a drink - they head to Franklin St.

I don't know what bar they went to, but my friend says when they walked in it was like a record scratched. They were clearly out of place.

Drinks were ordered and drinks were had, but a table close to them clearly thought these 3 Duke students needed to be put in their place.

So when the guy from Hungary went to get his round he was accidentally bumped into, and the guy from turkey was covered in beer.

Both men start shouting obscenities in their native tongues &now our tarheel friends realize these are not your average New Jersey Dukies.

As the only native English speaker, my friend gets involved. Things calm down, drinks bought, and someone tries to explain Duke/UNC rivalry

So they talk class. They talk proximity. They talk respect mixed with hate. The three internationals nod their heads, until 1 guy, decides

That he should make an analogy. Aware that my friend was cute and sported an Irish brogue, he tells her - it's like the Irish & the English

My friend (who grew up on the Falls Road @ShaneRyanHere) stops him right there. So Duke would be the English, and ye the Irish, she smiles.

Yes, tarheel nods. Silly me, she goes on, I must have missed the part where Durham colonized chapel hill, or where they took all your food.

Or prevent you from owning land or animals. Yes, I'm sure Duke/UNC is just like 800 years of war & famine.

And with that, she walked out - armed with an understanding of basketball rivalries and a new team to cheer against.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Awesome Sauce! Is this a thread where we can share our favorite Duke and Carolina rivalry stories? Good bc here goes mine

My favorite is involving myself and my entire military career. Being a Duke fan I was thrilled to be stationed in Goldsboro NC, and it provided me plenty of opportunities to see Duke games. Unfortunately my shop came with one giant downside, it had a fanatic Carolina fan who was also a fanatic Duke hater. Luckily my Career started in 2002 and we were just coming off a Naty. Well me and this Tar Heel played on the bases basketball team together and were the starting back court. So obviously we were kind of forced to become good friends. We started a tradition of 20 dollars per game each season. For 4 years we kept it up, exchanging the 20 dollars back and forth each game.

Needless to say 2008 and 2009 were hard on my wallet, and then out of the blue my buddy got sent to a different base in NJ or something. We kind of lost touch and Duke started winning again in fact had we still been stationed together he would have owed me $80 dollars. Well eventually I was reassigned to Las Vegas, where fate would reunite me and my Tar Hole buddy. His old unit was eliminated form his old base so they were all sent to new bases, he ended up in Vegas without me knowing. At each new base you get a sponsor and he ended up being mine but used a fake name so I wouldn't know it was him. When I showed up he had the whole shop decorated with UNC garbage and the entire shift had UNC shirts on that he bought them just to welcome me in his own unique way.

I was disgusted and ready to ask for a reassignment which would have never happened, but it was hilarious in a gross baby blue color kind of way. Finally, he pulled me aside and gave me an envelope, true to our agreement and bet there way $80 dollars in it. The bond formed over this rivalry was one of my fondest memories of my service, and to this day we still keep track of who owes who just for when we meet again.

[peterjswift]

This doesn't even come close to the stories shared above, but Duke/Carolina games were always a wonderful event at the college I went to (neither Duke nor UNC...)- a great mix of Duke and UNC fans, and we'd all watch the games together and have something to bond over despite, perhaps, not sharing anything in common other than a love for college ball.

Eventually, bets are made on the outcome...and one particular year, we bet using the standard clothing option - if Duke wins, my tarheel buddy would have to wear a Duke shirt all day (and I would have to use some strong detergent afterwards!), and if UNC wins, I would wear the UNC jersey. My hubris was strong....and Duke, despite a wonderful effort, fell short. That's when I really recognized what a poor bet I had made. Not only did I have to wear a UNC shirt all day...it was a size "small" and I, at the time, was an XL on good days (normally XXL!). I fulfilled my side of the bet, and felt like an overstuffed sausage the entire day.

The only small joy I got from that was realizing afterwards that his shirt was far too stretched out to ever be worn by him again.

[oldnavy]

When I was stationed at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center (yes the name has changed), I had a tech that wanted to bet me on the game. Duke won and he had to sing the Duke fight song the next morning at quarters in front of about 60 staff members, but worse for him was that he had to wear my Duke golf head cover on his lanyard while making inpatient deliveries that whole day. I actually had someone spy on him to make sure he was wearing it, and he did. He was miserable! That was fun!

[DukieInKansas]

Mine's not a true rivalry story since he wasn't truly a fan but here goes. One morning on the youth mission trip, I turn the corner and run into one of the adult males in our group. He is actually wearing a unc shirt - which I promptly tell him is ugly. Turns out it was a gift from his parents. That fall, I went back to Duke for a football game and took the opportunity to purchase a beautiful Duke shirt for him. True to his word, he swapped shirts and somewhere in my house (probably the garage) I have a unc shirt. I was thinking of using it to wash my Duke blue car but I'm afraid of scratching the paint. I'll have to come up with another use for it. :D

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Mine's not a true rivalry story since he wasn't truly a fan but here goes. One morning on the youth mission trip, I turn the corner and run into one of the adult males in our group. He is actually wearing a unc shirt - which I promptly tell him is ugly. Turns out it was a gift from his parents. That fall, I went back to Duke for a football game and took the opportunity to purchase a beautiful Duke shirt for him. True to his word, he swapped shirts and somewhere in my house (probably the garage) I have a unc shirt. I was thinking of using it to wash my Duke blue car but I'm afraid of scratching the paint. I'll have to come up with another use for it. :D

Rag for oil changes?

Toilet Paper?

Fire Starter?

Rag for when your pets pee on the floor?

Put it under your car to soak up any leaks?

Just throw it away as to not jinx, haunt, or otherwise taint your existence?

[Dukehky]

I have no good stories dealing with the rivalry.

I just grew up in a town of all Carolina fans and was harassed to no end by kids, adults, everyone. I'd go to the dentist, and they would rag me about Duke losing to UNC when it happened. When I tried to dish it back, they would be sour pusses and bad sports about it. I had kids cut the Duke stitching off my gym bag.

When I got wait listed at Duke, I sent in my deposit to go to Carolina and people would say "Ha ha, I always knew you'd end up at Carolina." So my dream had been crushed and adults found it funny that I was going to Carolina. Too bad they didn't see that it was so pathetic that I was sad about having to go to their great school. Got in off the wait list, Duke student, rubbed it in their faces.

My best experiences with people affiliated with UNC came with people who were actually on the team. Kris Lang was super nice to me when he visited a basketball camp I went to, as was Ed Cota. I went to a in college party and Rashad McCants happened to be there, I slipped on some ice and almost broke my ankle. Rashad hung out with me for little 30 minutes and we just talked hoops, and razzed each other about the Duke/UNC thing.

All in all, my utter disdain for UNC is primarily for their fans. I hope their sports teams fail because I loath Carolina fans collectively, they are the worst. I hope they crash and burn in the fiery chasms of Hell.

Note: I have some friends who are UNC fans and the Duke harassment lessened as I got older, and not all of them are horrid sports fans, but if you get a group of them together, there is a good chance that that group is going to suck.

[Philsfan]

I bought a ticket from a Carolina fan (no longer a friend) who later upgraded and moved to courtside seats. I was the only non-Carolina fan
in my upper-level section so heard all kinds of junk, esp. from the foul-mouthed family behind me. A couple people were OK, but mostly it was a zoo.

As the game progressed and Duke began to administer the beatdown, the "fans" started yelling worse stuff at Ol' Roy and the baby blue crew.
As the game wore along, they started leaving. The trickle turned into a flood. By the time I looked up with 2 minutes or so left on the clock,
I was the only fan left in the section as Duke (and I) celebrated. Nolan jumped into Coach K as he came off the court and the rest was history. How sweet it was!

[jv001]

I have no good stories dealing with the rivalry.

I just grew up in a town of all Carolina fans and was harassed to no end by kids, adults, everyone. I'd go to the dentist, and they would rag me about Duke losing to UNC when it happened. When I tried to dish it back, they would be sour pusses and bad sports about it. I had kids cut the Duke stitching off my gym bag.

When I got wait listed at Duke, I sent in my deposit to go to Carolina and people would say "Ha ha, I always knew you'd end up at Carolina." So my dream had been crushed and adults found it funny that I was going to Carolina. Too bad they didn't see that it was so pathetic that I was sad about having to go to their great school. Got in off the wait list, Duke student, rubbed it in their faces.

My best experiences with people affiliated with UNC came with people who were actually on the team. Kris Lang was super nice to me when he visited a basketball camp I went to, as was Ed Cota. I went to a in college party and Rashad McCants happened to be there, I slipped on some ice and almost broke my ankle. Rashad hung out with me for little 30 minutes and we just talked hoops, and razzed each other about the Duke/UNC thing.

All in all, my utter disdain for UNC is primarily for their fans. I hope their sports teams fail because I loath Carolina fans collectively, they are the worst. I hope they crash and burn in the fiery chasms of Hell.

Note: I have some friends who are UNC fans and the Duke harassment lessened as I got older, and not all of them are horrid sports fans, but if you get a group of them together, there is a good chance that that group is going to suck.

I agree with you on the bolded part of your post. Most of my strong dislike for Uncheater U. is for those fans that think they are entitled because of the 'Carolina way". Well we've finally found out the truth about the Carolina way. It's cheat to stay eligible. Prominent coaches, professors, players and faculty are guilty of winning at all costs. Banners should come down and steep penalties should be handed out but that will probably not happen. All because of the almighty dollar. As far as I'm concerned uncheat will never be considered a college sports team. Now if the university admits to all the wrongs, I'll reconsider but that won't happen. As for those fans, that say it hasn't been proved, yes it has. Most long time posters on this board, know exactly what I'm talking about. Especially if they live or lived in the State of North Carolina. GoDuke and put a beating on the Cheats.

[brevity]

True to his word, he swapped shirts and somewhere in my house (probably the garage) I have a unc shirt. I was thinking of using it to wash my Duke blue car but I'm afraid of scratching the paint. I'll have to come up with another use for it. :D

I don't want to generalize about the Sunflower State, but maybe you know someone with a cornfield, and maybe it could use a scarecrow, and maybe it could wear that T-shirt and plaid jacket and eyeglasses to perform its job, and maybe a stuffed Roy Williams desires a brain.

[Native]

Oh, here's one from today:

So a student group on campus had two Carolina students in K-Ville today doing "Pie a Tarheel" for charity. You could pay, like, $3 and get to throw a pie in their faces. They were singing the Carolina fight songs and all that jazz to entice kids to do it.

Anyway, a friend of mine who works with the student group comes up and asks, "Would you like to pie a Tarheel?" "How much would it take to get them to just leave?" I ask.

"$150?"

Let's just say my wallet's a little lighter now.

Hey, it's for charity.

[DukieInKansas]

I don't want to generalize about the Sunflower State, but maybe you know someone with a cornfield, and maybe it could use a scarecrow, and maybe it could wear that T-shirt and plaid jacket and eyeglasses to perform its job, and maybe a stuffed Roy Williams desires a brain.

I like this idea. Don't know anyone with a cornfield but I wonder if it would work to keep the squirrels away from my tomatoes this summer.

[DukieInKansas]

Oh, here's one from today:

So a student group on campus had two Carolina students in K-Ville today doing "Pie a Tarheel" for charity. You could pay, like, $3 and get to throw a pie in their faces. They were singing the Carolina fight songs and all that jazz to entice kids to do it.

Anyway, a friend of mine who works with the student group comes up and asks, "Would you like to pie a Tarheel?" "How much would it take to get them to just leave?" I ask.

"$150?"

Let's just say my wallet's a little lighter now.

Hey, it's for charity.

And this is why Native rocks! If your dad complains, hit up your grandma for some help!

[ricks68]

Oh, here's one from today:

So a student group on campus had two Carolina students in K-Ville today doing "Pie a Tarheel" for charity. You could pay, like, $3 and get to throw a pie in their faces. They were singing the Carolina fight songs and all that jazz to entice kids to do it.

Anyway, a friend of mine who works with the student group comes up and asks, "Would you like to pie a Tarheel?" "How much would it take to get them to just leave?" I ask.

"$150?"

Let's just say my wallet's a little lighter now.

Hey, it's for charity.

Boy, I wish I could spork you now. I guess I will have to wait for later.

ricks