This year was one of the most eventful in UNC sports history

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 12: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels poses with Athletic director Bubba Cunningham during a press conference on December 12, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

When you think about the most successful sporting years in UNC history, the answer is probably something like 2008-09. The women’s soccer and men’s basketball teams won national championships in that year, baseball advanced to the College World Series, men’s soccer made it to the College Cup, while several other programs appeared in their respective NCAA Tournaments.

However, if you want to pinpoint the most eventful year in Tar Heel sports’ history, then 2025-26 has to be up there. “Eventful” does not necessarily mean good. While there certainly were highs for various UNC teams during this past year, there was also a lot of stuff that happened that wasn’t necessarily good. There were plenty of days in which some story around a UNC team was among the biggest in the college sports world.

I’m personally not smart enough to fully know every notable off-field sporting event in Carolina history and match it up with what was happening on the field. It’s possible I’m just forgetting about some other obvious ones, but I think there’s a very strong argument that 2025-26 was the most eventful year in Tar Heels’ history.

While the Bill Belichick hire happened in December 2024, his first season as UNC head coach was one of the biggest stories in all of college football to start the fall. The Tar Heels were given a marquee time slot for their season opener against TCU, hosting the Horned Frogs on Labor Day night, in a time slot all their own. So much was unknown about how Belichick would do at the college level. While a lot of people ended up in the middle, expecting a .500ish season, you couldn’t necessarily poo-poo projections that the team would be really good or really bad. After all, he and general manager Mike Lombardi talked a big game about how and what they could do at the college level.

As it turns out, the team ended up being really bad. However, the issue wasn’t just that they were bad, it was that they looked completely disorganized at times, and there was reporting out there that things were even worse behind the scenes. For a bit, it looked as if Belichick might not last the season, but he did and will coach a second season this fall. No matters what happens from here, it won’t change that 2025 UNC was one of the most talked about 4-8 teams ever.

Over on the basketball court, the season appeared to be heading to an okay but not great conclusion, as the Tar Heels never quite looked like national title contenders. However, an absolute meltdown against VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament proved to be the end of the Hubert Davis era. It took a little while for the firing to be announced, as there were evidentially holdouts behind the scenes who needed to be convinced that a move had to be made.

That, of course, led to a coaching search. It wasn’t quite as eventful one as in 2000 when Roy Williams turned UNC down. However, when a blue blood job like UNC opens, you’re going to see everyone and their mother linked to the job. Dozens of names were floated, with NBA championship winning coach Michael Malone eventually accepting the job. After some initial hesitation, lots of people have come around to being optimistic about both this season and the hire in general, but Carolina were making headlines for every day for a while there.

Beyond that, there was also some notable off the court basketball news. Throughout the past season, a debate about the future of the Smith Center and a possible replacement arena. Some of the higher ups have been advocating for a new arena built at the planned “Carolina North” site. However, what they did not do before talking about that publicly is get all of the Carolina basketball family on board. Many players and even Roy Williams have come out against the Carolina North plan, instead calling for the Smith Center to be renovated. The whole ordeal has lead to unnecessary fractures in the relationship with the powers that be and players and coaches, especially when there’s a potential compromise option in sight. Things have quieted down on that front as everyone has begun looking towards the Malone era, but there was a couple weeks of needless friction there for a while.

This year was also the final one for athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who’s making way for Steve Newmark. We knew that one has been coming for a while, but

Last but certainly not least, we also had a bunch of UNC teams having good seasons. Baseball and women’s lacrosse made it to the finals of their respective sports. Tennis player Reese Brantmaier won the women’s individual national championship. Several other teams made their NCAA Tournaments or championships, even if they didn’t end up going as far as they would’ve liked.

Between games on the field and drama off it, you won’t find many more packed sporting years than what we just went through.

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