Every spring, THI launches a series ranking something related to North Carolina football and basketball, sometimes breaking up the rankings specifically to the respective sports.
Last year, we ranked the top former Tar Heel football or basketball player from each of the 50 states. It was a fun series that generated plenty of interest. But this time around, we’re breaking up the sports into the top 20 UNC football teams of all time and the top 30 UNC basketball teams
Here is our football series counting down from No. 20:
No. 20: 1982
Record: 8-4 (3-3)
Bowl: Sun Bowl, beat Texas 26-10
Ranking: 13
Coach: Dick Crum
All-Americans: William Fuller (DT); David Drechsler (OG)
First-Team All-ACC: Kelvin Bryant, RB, David Drechsler, OG, William Fuller, DT, Willie Harris, DB, Ron Spruill, OG, Mike Wilcher, LB
Honors: None
What's To Know: North Carolina's football program has a history of missed opportunities, and the 1982 season began with one of the more classic such examples when the Tar Heels opened with a 7-6 loss at No. 1 Pittsburgh. Panthers QB Dan Marino struggled against the Tar Heels' stacked defense that finished No. 6 in the nation, but Carolina also couldn't manage much offense in the narrow loss. A rare Thursday night game at the time was also on prime time on CBS, giving the Tar Heels tremendous exposure. A win would have catapulted the No. 5 Heels even higher, and who knows how things would have turned out.
The Heels were ranked during the first eight weeks of the season, spending the first seven among the top 12, but a loss to Maryland dropped them to No. 18 before a three-point loss at Clemson dropped them out of what was at the time the Top 20.
A surprising 23-17 loss at Duke was the low point, as it dropped Carolina to 6-4, but an easy win over a solid Bowling Green team and then a 26-10 victory over No. 8 Texas in the Sun Bowl on Christmas Day, offering yet another glimpse of what could have been for Kelvin Bryant, Ethan Horton and company had the Heels been just a tad better earlier in the season.
1983 NFL Draft
2nd Rnd: Mike Wilcher, LB, Rams
2nd Rnd: Dave Drechsler, OG, Packers
7th Rnd: Kelvin Bryant, Redskins
