There was once a time when college sports teams did not play on Christmas Day, it was pretty much off limits. But over the last 40-plus years, that has slowly changed with the proliferation of so many bowl games and in-season holiday basketball tournaments.

Amazingly, North Carolina’s football and basketball Tar Heels’ fans have largely been spared the obligation of watching their teams play on a day more suited for family, gifts, and one of the holiest Christian dates on the calendar.

The only time a UNC football or basketball team played a game on Christmas Day was in 1982, when the football Tar Heels upset No. 8 Texas to win the 49th Annual Sun Bowl 26-10.

The Tar Heels opened the season ranked No. 5 in the nation, and even after dropping the opener, 7-6, at No. 1 Pittsburgh, they dropped to No. 11 and remained in that range until early November.

After five consecutive wins, the 5-1 Tar Heels took a No. 10 ranking with them to College Park, MD, to face always dangerous Maryland. Carolina dropped the game, 31-24, and fell to No. 18 in the polls. They lost 16-13 at Clemson the following week, beat Virginia 27-14, and closed the regular season with a surprising 23-17 loss at Duke.

From No. 5 to unranked. But the Heels could still redeem themselves in the Sun Bowl versus an eighth-ranked Texas team that went into the game owning a 9-2 record and winners of six straight games.

The weather Christmas Day in El Paso in 1982 didn’t favor either team. A wind chill of 12 degrees, wins whipping around at 30 miles per hour, and a forecast for snow made for a unique game, as neither team had much experience in conditions anything close to what they faced that afternoon. Amazingly, the crowd was announced at 31,359, much smaller than typical Sun Bowl turnouts, but high given the conditions.

Snow hadn’t fallen in a Sun Bowl since 1947, and it fell Christmas Eve and on the morning of the game. Eventually, well into the fourth quarter, it started falling again.

Long before that, however, the Tar Heels found themselves unable to move the football.

Aided by a touchdown after blocking a UNC punt, Texas led 10-3 heading into the fourth quarter in part because it twice failed to score when having the ball at Carolina’s 1-yard-line. Then, late in the third quarter, Carolina started moving the ball some.

With star running back Kelvin Bryant out after injuring his ankle earlier in the game, Ethan Horton was UNC’s main ball carrier. He ran for 119 yards on 27 carries in the game, but was huge in the final period, earning him the MVP award.

“I'm just sorry Kelvin got hurt,” Horton told the Associated Press following the game. “He's had a great career and I was hoping he'd got out with a great game. Inside, tackle to tackle, that's where I get my yardage. Being tall (6-foot-4) helps me, I think, get that extra yardage. It usually takes more than one guy to bring me down.

“It sure was cold out there. My hands got numb and the snow bothered my eyesight.”

Carolina chipped away, getting field goals to take a 12-10 lead. UNC’s Rob Rogers booted two long field goals, including one from 53 yards, and Brooks Barwick added the other two.

The snow then started falling as UNC picked up its game even more. Horton scored on a three-yard touchdown run giving UNC a 19-10 lead with 2:17 left to play. Yet, on Texas’ next possession, with the Longhorns facing a fourth-and-8 from its own 22-yard-line, UNC linebacker Micah Moon sacked the Texas quarterback causing a fumble.

Tar Heels great Mike Wilcher fell on the ball for the final points. Carolina outscored Texas 23-0 in the fourth quarter and won 26-10.

“This team has a lot of heart,” UNC Coach Dick Crum said in his postgame press conference. “They've had a lot of adversity and been heavily criticized, but they never quit. It's a good group of kids.

“We seemed to develop a rhythm in the second half. We couldn't really get that rhythm in the first half although I think they played well. We went back out in the second half and knew we would have to play good steady football. Ethan Horton was obviously our most valuable player out there today.”

UNC finished No. 18 in the final AP rankings.