CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC-Chapel Hill fans know the chant all too well at games as one side yells, “Tar” and the other “Heels.” But why is UNC-Chapel Hill known as the Tar Heels? Well, it all has to do with history.
The term “Tar Heel” dates back to the state’s early history, according to UNC’s website. The state was a leading producer of supplies for the naval industry. Workers would distill turpentine from the sticky sap of pine trees and burned pine boughs in an effort to produce tar. The workers often went barefoot and would collect tar on their heels. When someone called a person a “tar heel” it often meant they worked in a lowly trade.
During the Civil War, soldiers turned the meaning around and into an accolade. They called themselves “tar heels” as an expression of state pride. North Carolina then became widely known as the “Tar Heel State.”
Then in the 1880s, when UNC began competing in sports they need a catchy nickname. There was no debate about it and from that point on they were then and always have been the "Tar Heels."