South's Oldest Rivalry

This article is about the football game between North Carolina and Virginia. For other uses, see South's Oldest Rivalry (disambiguation).

South's Oldest Rivalry
North Carolina Tar Heels	Virginia Cavaliers
Originated	1892
Continuity	1919
Games Played	116 (through 2011)
Series Record	North Carolina leads, 58–54–4a
Largest Victory	Virginia 66-0 1912 November 26 (Richmond, VA)
Highest Scoring Game	Virginia 56-24 2004 September 11 (Charlottesville)
Lowest Scoring Game	Tie Game 0-0 1923 November 29 (Chapel Hill)
Most Recent Game	North Carolina 28-17 2011 September 17 (Chapel Hill)
Next Match	2012 TBA (Charlottesville)
Current Streak	North Carolina 2
North Carolina (58) 18922 1898 1903 1905 1916 1919 1921 1922 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1942 1943 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1953 1954 1955 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1969 1970 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1986 1992 1995 1997 2001 2005 2010 2011	Virginia (54) 18921 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1900 1901 1904 1907 1908 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1920 1924 1926 1932 1941 1944 1950 1951 1952 1956a 1957 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1973 1983 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1993 1994 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ties (4) 1902 1923 1925 1984	Did Not Play (5) 1899 1906 1909 1917 1918

The South's Oldest Rivalry is the name of the annual college football game between teams representing the two oldest schools of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Cavaliers of the University of Virginia and the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Long being the most played game among all Football Bowl Subdivision series in the Southeastern United States, it has become known over the years simply as the South's Oldest Rivalry. It is also the oldest series in this highest division on the Atlantic coast. The 2010 meeting marked the 115th edition of this game (played continuously since 1919), five more than the Army–Navy Game (played continuously since 1930), and one more than the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" (Georgia–Auburn, played continuously since 1944).

The game was first played in 1892, twice (Virginia won the first, and North Carolina the second). It is the 4th most played rivalry game among college football's BCS conference schools, behind three midwestern or Texan rivalries: Paul Bunyan's Axe (Minnesota–Wisconsin), Border War (Kansas–Missouri) and Lone Star Showdown (Texas–Texas A&M).^[1]

Virginia and North Carolina have faced each other more times, 116, than they have faced any other program. Second-most played is 103 for North Carolina versus Wake Forest University. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 58–54–4,^a but Virginia is 20–8–1 in the rivalry since 1983. In 2010 UNC broke a long losing streak in Charlottesville with a 44-10 victory. It was UNC's first road win in the series since 1981, ending what many UNC fans mockingly described as the "Charlottesville Curse." The two teams most recently met on September 17, 2011 in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. UNC posted a 28-17 victory and beat Virginia for the 1st time, in two consecutive season, since 1982.

Nature of the Rivalry

There is considerable historical lineage and academic standing between the two universities involved. The University of Virginia was founded by third President of the United States and founding father Thomas Jefferson whereas the University of North Carolina was the first operational state university in the United States & alma-mater of U.S President, James K Polk and literary writer Thomas Wolfe. When the Richard Moll book listing the original eight "Public Ivies" (public colleges with high academic and tough admissions standards) was published in 1985, there were only two sharing a common athletic conference: the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina.

In addition, the rivalry is also nicknamed the "Gentlemen's Rivalry." One reason for this moniker is the prestigous image, both academically & socially, of both universities. Both institutions' student bodies tend to mirror one another from a social & academic standpoint. Another and maybe more truthful reason is the stereotypical image of both schools' football fanbases as being a very subdued and mannerd crowd, who tend to do more socializing over wine-n-cheese than trying to create a rowdy atmosphere for their respective home football games. Wearing a tie and blazer is not uncommon to see on both campuses.

As for today and recent decades, the rivalry has been lackluster and less heated despite a few historical firsts. Last season, former UNC coach Butch Davis ended a 14 year drought and won in Charlottesville (44-10), officially ending "the 'Curse" (commonly referred to), and was UNC's first victory in Charlottesville since 1981. UNC also beat UVa the following season in 2011 to win 2 straight in the series, which had not been done by a UNC football team since the mid '70's into the early '80's, when Carolina won 9 straight and dominated the series. In addition, when UNC coach Mack Brown took over the Carolina program in the late 1980's and had very successful recruiting efforts, especially in the talent rich Tidewater (VA) area throughout the '90's, the rivalry really hit its peak when highly rated (VA) prospect Ronald Curry committed to North Carolina over Virginia.

Contributing factors

"Benedict Ronald"

Ronald Curry is sacked by the Virginia defense in 2000. This game was the third loss for Curry against the Cavaliers, and he completed his career with a 1–3 record in the South's Oldest Rivalry.

Widely considered the best high school football player of all time from the state of Virginia,^[2] and the only junior ever to be named the nation's top high school quarterback by USA Today, Ronald Curry announced a verbal commitment to George Welsh's Virginia program on September 4, 1997 during ESPN coverage of that night's game between Virginia and Auburn.^[3] With the commitment from Curry, Welsh was not able to recruit Michael Vick, whose stellar career in the same high school district was largely overshadowed by Curry's. While Curry's high school football coach, 12-time state champion Mike Smith, was happy that Curry would attend Virginia, Curry's AAU basketball coach Boo Williams told Curry he should decommit and go to a "basketball school" like North Carolina to get a better shot at the NBA.^[4]

Curry decommitted from Virginia and signed a letter of intent to North Carolina in April 1998. Meanwhile Michael Vick had signed with another major football rival of Virginia, Virginia Tech. This made Curry a very unpopular figure among Virginia fans, who referred to him by such terms as "Benedict Curry", "Benedict Ronald", or "WHN" (an abbreviation of "What's his name?"), and he won the "Sports Jerk of the Year" award for his actions in the nationally syndicated Tank McNamara comic strip.

Curry went on to become the career passing yards and total yards leader at UNC, but he was 1–3 against Virginia in the South's Oldest Rivalry. Curry's first trip to Charlottesville was greeted by much pre-game hype. Curry was soundly booed by the Scott Stadium crowd during his time on the field, and senior Oscar Davenport took most of the snaps at quarterback for UNC, going 18-of-33 for 227 yards in a 30-13 loss. UNC's sole victory against Virginia during Curry's time as a Tar Heel came when he was a senior in 2001, when he also split time at quarterback (with freshman Darian Durant). Curry did contribute one of the biggest plays in the 2001 game, a 66-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sam Aiken that gave UNC a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Curry finished 3-of-5 passing for 81 yards and rushed seven times for 39 more. Since the day Curry decommitted from Virginia and signed with UNC, the Heels have a 4–10 record (as of 2011) against the Cavaliers.

Curry also started two years at guard for North Carolina's basketball team and reached the Final Four with the Tar Heels in 2000. But he never played in the NBA. He spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders as a wide receiver, catching 193 career passes for 2,347 yards and 13 touchdowns and played in one Super Bowl.

Famous Spectators

President Calvin Coolidge attended the 1928 game held on Thanksgiving Day in Charlottesville.

Probably the most famous spectator of this rivalry was present on Thanksgiving Day 1928. United States President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge were among the 20,000 spectators watching the game at Charlottesville to see North Carolina win 24–20 over Virginia.^[5]

Results

Below are the results of all 115 meetings.

South's Oldest Rivalry
Date	Year	Location	Winner	Score
Oct. 22	1892	Charlottesville	Virginia	30–18
Nov. 26	1892	Atlanta, GA	North Carolina	26–0
Nov. 30	1893	Richmond, VA	Virginia	16–0
Nov. 22	1894	Richmond, VA	Virginia	34–0
Nov. 28	1895	Richmond, VA	Virginia	6–0
Nov. 26	1896	Richmond, VA	Virginia	46–0
Nov. 22	1897	Richmond, VA	Virginia	12–0
Nov. 24	1898	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	6–2
Nov. 24	1900	Norfolk, VA	Virginia	17–0
Nov. 23	1901	Richmond, VA	Virginia	23–6
Nov. 27	1902	Richmond, VA	Tie Game	12–12
Nov. 25	1903	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	16–0
Nov. 24	1904	Richmond, VA	Virginia	12–11
Nov. 30	1905	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	17–0
Oct. 26	1907	Richmond, VA	Virginia	9–4
Nov. 26	1908	Richmond, VA	Virginia	31–0
Nov. 24	1910	Richmond, VA	Virginia	7–0
Nov. 30	1911	Richmond, VA	Virginia	28–0
Nov. 26	1912	Richmond, VA	Virginia	66–0
Nov. 27	1913	Richmond, VA	Virginia	26–7
Nov. 26	1914	Richmond, VA	Virginia	20–3
Nov. 25	1915	Richmond, VA	Virginia	14–0
Nov. 30	1916	Richmond, VA	North Carolina	7–0
Nov. 27	1919	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	6–0
Nov. 24	1920	Charlottesville	Virginia	14–0
Nov. 24	1921	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	7–3
Nov. 30	1922	Charlottesville	North Carolina	10–7
Nov. 29	1923	Chapel Hill	Tie Game	0–0
Nov. 27	1924	Charlottesville	Virginia	7–0
Nov. 26	1925	Chapel Hill	Tie Game	3–3
Nov. 25	1926	Charlottesville	Virginia	3–0
Nov. 24	1927	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	14–13
Nov. 29	1928	Charlottesville	North Carolina	24–20
Nov. 25	1929	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	41–7
Nov. 27	1930	Charlottesville	North Carolina	41–0
Nov. 26	1931	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	13–6
Nov. 24	1932	Charlottesville	Virginia	14–7
Nov. 30	1933	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	14–0
Nov. 29	1934	Washington DC	North Carolina	25–6
Nov. 24	1935	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	61–0
Nov. 26	1936	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	59–14
Nov. 25	1937	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	40–0
Nov. 24	1938	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	20–0
Nov. 30	1939	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	19–0
Nov. 23	1940	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	10–7
Nov. 20	1941	Norfolk, VA	Virginia	28–7
Nov. 21	1942	Norfolk, VA	North Carolina	28–13
Nov. 27	1943	Charleston, WV	North Carolina	54–7
Dec. 2	1944	Norfolk, VA	Virginia	26–7
Dec. 1	1945	Charleston, WV	North Carolina	27–18
Nov. 30	1946	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	49–14
Nov. 29	1947	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	40–7
Nov. 27	1948	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	34–12
Nov. 1	1949	Roanoke, VA	North Carolina	14–7
Dec. 2	1950	Roanoke, VA	Virginia	44–13
Nov. 10	1951	Charlottesville	Virginia	34–13
Nov. 4	1952	Chapel Hill	Virginia	34–17
Nov. 21	1953	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	33–7
Nov. 20	1954	Charlottesville	North Carolina	26–14
Nov. 21	1955	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	21–14
Nov. 10	1956	Charlottesville	Virginia	Forfeit a
Nov. 30	1957	Chapel Hill	Virginia	20–13
Nov. 8	1958	Charlottesville	North Carolina	42–0
Nov. 14	1959	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	41–0
Nov. 26	1960	Charlottesville	North Carolina	35–8
Dec. 2	1961	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	24–0
Nov. 10	1962	Charlottesville	North Carolina	11–7
Sep. 21	1963	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	11–7
Nov. 14	1964	Charlottesville	Virginia	31–27
Oct. 2	1965	Chapel Hill	Virginia	21–17
Nov. 26	1966	Chapel Hill	Virginia	21–14
Nov. 11	1967	Charlottesville	Virginia	40–17
Nov. 9	1968	Chapel Hill	Virginia	41–6
Nov. 1	1969	Charlottesville	North Carolina	12–0
Oct. 31	1970	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	19–0
Nov. 1	1971	Charlottesville	North Carolina	32–20
Nov. 11	1972	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	23–3
Nov. 3	1973	Charlottesville	Virginia	44–40
Nov. 11	1974	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	24–10
Oct. 4	1975	Charlottesville	North Carolina	31–28
Nov. 13	1976	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	31–6
Nov. 12	1977	Charlottesville	North Carolina	35–14
Nov. 18	1978	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	38–20
Nov. 17	1979	Charlottesville	North Carolina	13–7
Nov. 15	1980	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	26–3
Nov. 14	1981	Charlottesville	North Carolina	17–14
Nov. 13	1982	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	27–14
Nov. 12	1983	Charlottesville	Virginia	17–14
Nov. 17	1984	Chapel Hill	Tie Game	24–24
Nov. 16	1985	Charlottesville	Virginia	24–22
Nov. 15	1986	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	27–7
Nov. 14	1987	Charlottesville	Virginia	20–17
Nov. 12	1988	Chapel Hill	Virginia	27–24
Oct. 14	1989	Charlottesville	Virginia	50–17
Nov. 10	1990	Chapel Hill	Virginia	24–10
Oct. 19	1991	Charlottesville	Virginia	14–9
Oct. 17	1992	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	27–17
Oct. 23	1993	Charlottesville	Virginia	17–10
Oct. 22	1994	Charlottesville	Virginia	34–10
Oct. 7	1995	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	22–17
Nov. 16	1996	Charlottesville	Virginia	20–17
Sep. 27	1997	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	48–20
Nov. 14	1998	Charlottesville	Virginia	30–13
Sep. 4	1999	Chapel Hill	Virginia	20–17
Nov. 14	2000	Charlottesville	Virginia	17–6
Oct. 13	2001	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	30–24
Oct. 19	2002	Charlottesville	Virginia	37–27
Oct. 4	2003	Chapel Hill	Virginia	38–13
Sep. 11	2004	Charlottesville	Virginia	56–24
Oct. 22	2005	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	7–5
Oct. 19	2006	Charlottesville	Virginia	23–0
Sep. 15	2007	Chapel Hill	Virginia	22–20
Oct. 18	2008	Charlottesville	Virginia	16–13 (OT)
Oct. 3	2009	Chapel Hill	Virginia	16–3
Oct. 16	2010	Charlottesville	North Carolina	44-10
Sept. 17	2011	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	28-17

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry (Auburn-Georgia) may eventually surpass "South's Oldest Rivalry" (UNC-Virginia) in number of games played due to the conference expansion of the SEC and ACC conferences. With the possibility of a same-season rematch in the SEC Championship, Auburn and Georgia can play a second game in the same season; North Carolina and Virginia, however, are in the same division of the ACC, making a similar North Carolina vs. Virginia ACC Championship matchup impossible. Currently the UVA-UNC series leads the AUB-UGA series by one game. However, because the UVA-UNC series kept playing through World War II, it will be very difficult for AUB-UGA to surpass the rivalry in consecutive years played.

Notes

^a North Carolina forfeited the 1956 game to Virginia for using an ineligible player.^[6][7][8] The UNC athletic department does not mention the forfeit when reporting on the result, and chooses to publish the series record as 57–53–4 in its marketing materials.<sup>[9]

1</sup>Virginia won the first game played in 1892.
²North Carolina won the second game played in 1892.

See also

• Most-played rivalries in NCAA Division I FBS

References

1. ^ Top 10 Most Played Rivalries
2. ^ http://www.davesez.com/archives/000372.php
3. ^ "Virginia Won Big Before It Took The Field"; Richmond Times - Dispatch - Richmond, Va.; Bob Lipper; Sep 5, 1997; Page D1
4. ^ Ronald Curry Has All the Moves; The Washington Post - Washington, D.C.; Angie Watts; Apr 8, 1998; page C1
5. ^ O'Neals (1968) Pictorial History of the University of Virginia. Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia (p. 154)
6. ^ http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=1603210
7. ^ Jon Blau, Penn State Daily Collegian, "Forfeits uncommon in realm of college sports"
8. ^ Sports Illustrated, 1957 Football Issue, September 23, 1957
9. ^ http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101608aaa.html