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Published Dec 24, 2024
Tar Heels Football Inside an MLB Ballpark? Here's Their History...
Bryant Baucom  •  TarHeelIllustrated
Staff Writer

For the first time in program history, North Carolina will play inside the confines of Fenway Park on Saturday, as it takes on Connecticut in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.

It marks the second time in three years that the Tar Heels will play inside an MLB stadium, as they most recently faced Oregon in the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, in 2022.

In total, UNC has played in 21 games inside then-active MLB stadiums. This does not include stadiums that housed Major League Baseball teams at one time but not in seasons the Tar Heels played in those ballparks.

For example, UNC has played Miami at Hard Rick Stadium seven times since the Marlins moved into their own ballpark. Six times have been against the Hurricanes and once was in the Orange Bowl versus Texas A&M in 2020.

But the Heels faced the Hurricanes inside the stadium shared by the Dolphins of the NFL and Marlins of MLB four times plus in a bowl game in 1995 as well.

And, as Tar Heels are in search of their first bowl win since 2019, they’re also competing for their first win in an MLB park since 2008.

In addition, UNC’s game at Fenway will mark the 11th different active MLB facility in which the Heels have played. The noted Marlins stadium has undergone several name changes, including when they shared it with the Dolphins.

Here’s a breakdown of how UNC has fared over the last 88 years, from Yankee Stadium in New York to Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.

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