CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Greg Cauley isn’t sure how it started. He isn’t exactly sure why it started or when it started. He knows his parents were UNC Tar Heels fans, so maybe he got it from them.
“Until I was a freshman in high school, I didn’t care anything about sports,” Cauley said.
He would soon start working for the high school teams as a statistician and team manager. His love of sports took off from there, and when he went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill, his love of sports, especially UNC, took off.
“I remember the basketball games in the late 60’s,” Cauley said.
He attended his first game in 1974 and has seen almost every one since. Cauley has a streak of 580 consecutive home games.
“It’s pretty cool; I don’t care who they play. It’s a game, and you only get so many opportunities to do things; if you find something that interests you, don’t miss a chance,” Cauley said.
His house looks like something out of the UNC Athletics Hall of Fame. The walls are covered with banners, posters, pictures, and other UNC memorabilia. He has an old letterman jacket given to him by a team manager and a bedspread signed by Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Roy Williams, and dozens of other UNC greats.
“Looking back, I wouldn’t trade it; I wouldn’t have done it any other way,” Cauley said.
PHOTOS: Tar Heel super fan house covered in paraphernalia
Cauley has so much UNC stuff he converted his carport into a sports room. The room is now packed with everything from bobbleheads and banners to figurines and photos of UNC players. He has an autographed basketball from the Roy Williams era, ticket stubs from over 1,000 games, and a section of the old wooden floor from the Woolen Gymnasium.
“Just knowing that the 1957 national championship team played on that court (is pretty cool),” Cauley said.
His fandom may have hit an all-time high when he decided he needed something to complete his UNC collection. It wasn’t something he could buy or trade for. Cauley wanted a replica of the Old Well from campus. One day, he went to the school, took measurements, and had a contractor make a replica in his backyard.
“I’ve got some serious issues,” Cauley said.
Cauley lives in Kingston, NC, so going to games is a bit of a haul. The trek is roughly 200 miles round trip, yet Cauley comes up for many of the baseball games along with the six or so football games and 20 or so basketball games.
“By my definition, I’m a fan,” Cauley said.
Most would tell you he’s a superfan; some call him Mr. Tar Heel. He may not be the biggest UNC fan, but if he’s not, he’s in the top 10 and probably bleeds Carolina blue.
“Cut me and see,” Cauley said.
When his beloved Tar Heels take the court Thursday for the first round of the NCAA tournament, Cauley will be right where you’d expect him to be: in the stands cheering on his favorite school.