Rameses (mascot)

Coordinates: 35°54′27.49″N 79°2′58.25″W / 35.9076361°N 79.0495139°W / 35.9076361; -79.0495139

Rameses
Costumed Rameses at Carmichael Auditorium
University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Conference	ACC
Description	Dorset Ram
Origin of name	Jack ("The Battering Ram") Merritt
First seen	1924

Rameses is the ram mascot of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Three versions of Rameses appear at UNC sporting events. One is a member of the UNC cheerleading team in an anthropomorphic ram costume; the second is also an anthropomorphic ram costume, and the third is a live Horned Dorset Sheep named Rameses who attends Carolina football games with his horns painted Carolina Blue.^[1]

Origin

The origin of a ram as North Carolina's mascot dates back to 1924. In 1922, the star fullback, Jack Merritt, was given the nickname "the battering ram" for his performance on the field, as well as for an initiation ritual he created for male freshman students. Vic Huggins, North Carolina's head cheerleader at the time, suggested the idea of a ram mascot to the athletic business manager, Charles T. Woollen, and had the idea approved. Charles gave Vic $25 to purchase a ram. Rameses the First was shipped from Texas, just in time for the pep rally.

The first appearance of Rameses was at a pep rally before the football game against Virginia Military Institute on November 8, 1924.^[2]^[3]^[4] After the pep rally the ram was taken to Emerson Field. Through three quarters the game was scoreless. Late in the fourth quarter Bunn Hackney was called out to attempt a field goal. Before stepping out on the field he rubbed Rameses' head. Just a few seconds later Hackney kicked a 30-yard field goal that eventually won the game for the Tar Heels; the final score was 3-0. Rameses has been a fixture on the sidelines at UNC football games ever since. The current Rameses ram is under the care of the Hogan family of Chapel Hill.

The origin of the costumed version of Rameses dates back to the 1987-88 season. Auditions were held and a senior, Eric Chilton from Mount Airy, NC was given the honor to be the first mascot. Since auditions were held in the middle of the school year he only served for half a year and only showed up in a few basketball games in early 1988. The costume was made locally and looked different than the one used now but he is recorded as the first costumed Rameses in UNC history.

In October 2015, Rameses Jr. debuted as a second costumed Tar Heel mascot. ^[5] Most notably, Rameses Jr., or "RJ", has blue eyes and horns, that set him apart from Rameses senior, although there are additional differences.

Rameses Jr at a football game

Rameses Jr.

On the evening of October 26, 2015, a new Tar Heel mascot made a debut during a session of Late Night with Roy in the Smith Center auditorium. ^[6] Cited as a year in the making, Rameses Jr. was conceived to meet demand for Carolina mascots at events and to be "receptive to children", who often found the full costume "too intimidating and a little scary". Rameses Jr. is notable for having a less muscular appearance, less stern face, blue eyes and horns, and Jordan-brand shoes.

Killing of Rameses XXIII

In February 1996, Rameses XXIII was killed in his pasture at the Hogan farm.^[7] An attacker slashed the ram's throat and cut off its left front leg, stabbing it as many as 10 times along its chest and neck. State veterinarians stated that the slash to its throat was most likely the fatal wound.^[8] Police later charged 26-year-old Scott Wade, who was drunk at the time of the slaying and had stumbled into the field.^[9] He claimed he killed the ram because he was hungry. He was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.^[10]^[11]

Jason Ray

On March 23, 2007, Jason Ray, the cheerleader assigned to the Rameses costume, was struck by a vehicle outside the North Carolina cheerleaders' hotel on Route 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey prior to the men's basketball team's Sweet Sixteen game with the University of Southern California. He died on March 26, 2007 at the Hackensack University Medical Center as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident.

Ray was an honors student and was due to graduate that May with a degree in business, and minor in religious studies. He was an Eagle Scout with Troop 38 in Concord, NC, had gone on three missionary trips (Haiti, Honduras, and Puerto Rico) to work with children, had visited the Sistine Chapel, run with the bulls in Spain, and spent a summer studying in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ray was also an active member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, his church choir, and was lead singer in the band 9pm Traffic.^[12]^[13]

The ESPN website published an E-ticket article on Ray's life, and the lives of four people who were saved because he chose to become an organ donor.^[14]^[15]

References

↑ Fuller, Adam; Gross, Jeremy; McCormack, Kevin. "Rameses: A mascot's life". UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
↑ "Why a ram for a mascot?". Tar Heel Traditions. UNC. Archived from the original on 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
↑ "The ram as mascot". Traditions. UNC Athletics. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
↑ Sykes, Laura. "Rameses to celebrate 76th anniversary at Tar Heel Town Saturday (Oct. 21)". UNC News Service. Retrieved 2000-10-07. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
↑ "Rameses Jr. is young Tar Heels' newest, wooliest pal". UNC News Service. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
↑ "Rameses Jr. is young Tar Heels' newest, wooliest pal". UNC News Service. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
↑ http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/147395/
↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19960227&id=zYpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NxUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5778,5016491
↑ http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/02/rameses_a_role_assumed_by_19_rams_since_1924_has_colorful_past
↑ http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/160077/
↑ http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/02/rameses_a_role_assumed_by_19_rams_since_1924_has_colorful_past
↑ Lucas, Adam. "Tears for a ram". UNC Athletics. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
↑ "Jason Ray, Tar Heel Mascot, succumbs to accident injuries". UNC Athletics. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
↑ Drehs, Wayne. "E-ticket: Ray of hope". espn.com. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
↑ "UNC mascot's decision to be an organ donor forever changed lives". espn.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Academics	Scholarships Center for Global Initiatives Center for the Study of the American South Kenan–Flagler Business School School of Information and Library Science School of Media and Journalism School of Law School of Medicine School of Pharmacy School of Public Health School of Social Work Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research

Athletics	Teams Australian Rules Football Baseball Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Field Hockey Football Men's Lacrosse Women's Lacrosse Men's Soccer Women's Soccer Softball Men's Tennis Women's Tennis Facilities Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium Bynum Gymnasium Carmichael Arena Dean Smith Center Eddie Smith Field House Fetzer Field Finley Golf Course Henry Stadium Kenan Memorial Stadium Tin Can Woollen Gymnasium Other Atlantic Coast Conference Carlyle Cup Carolina Basketball Museum Carolina blue Duke Rivalry The Marching Tar Heels "Hark The Sound" "Here Comes Carolina" "I'm a Tar Heel Born" NC State Rivalry Olympians Rameses The Rams Club South's Oldest Rivalry Tar Heel Tar Heel Sports Network Tobacco Road Victory Bell Wake Rivalry

Campus	Ackland Art Museum Airport Botanical Garden Carolina Inn Coker Arboretum Davie Poplar Franklin Street Hospitals Hunt Arboretum Images Morehead Planetarium Old Chapel Hill Cemetery Old East Old Well Playmakers Theatre Silent Sam Wilson Library Town of Chapel Hill Kessing Pool

Student life	Black Student Movement Carolina Week The Daily Tar Heel Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies Dramatic and Performing Arts Order of Gimghoul Student Television WXYC

History	Alumni Presidents and Chancellors William Richardson Davie UNC system Speaker ban Academics-athletics scandal

North Carolina Tar Heels football

Venues	Emerson Field (1916–26) Kenan Memorial Stadium (1927–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Duke: (Victory Bell) NC State South Carolina Virginia: South's Oldest Rivalry Wake Forest

Culture & lore	First forward pass Rameses The Marching Tar Heels Statistical leaders

People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees

Seasons	1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball

Venues	Bynum Gymnasium (1920–1924) Tin Can (1924–1938) Woollen Gymnasium (1938–1965) Carmichael Auditorium (1965–1986) Dean Smith Center (1986–present)

Rivalries	Duke (Carlyle Cup) Kentucky NC State

Culture & lore	Rameses The Marching Tar Heels Junior varsity team Inside Carolina Four corners offense Dixie Classic Tobacco Road Scandal

People	Head coaches Honorees Honored players NBA draftees

Seasons	1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics

Mascots of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlantic Division	Baldwin the Eagle (Boston College) The Tiger (Clemson) Osceola and Renegade (Florida State) Cardinal Bird (Louisville) Mr. & Ms. Wuf (North Carolina State) Leprechaun (Notre Dame) Otto the Orange (Syracuse) Demon Deacon (Wake Forest)

Coastal Division	Blue Devil (Duke) Buzz & Ramblin' Wreck (Georgia Tech) Sebastian the Ibis (Miami) Rameses (North Carolina) Roc the Panther (Pittsburgh) CavMan (Virginia) HokieBird (Virginia Tech)

Live animal mascots in college sports

The American	Jonathan (Connecticut) Shasta (Houston) TOM (Memphis) Bill the Goat (Navy) Peruna (SMU) Stella (Temple)

ACC	Osceola and Renegade (Florida State) Tuffy (NC State) Rameses (North Carolina)

Big 12	Judge (Baylor) Boomer and Sooner (Oklahoma) Bullet (Oklahoma State) Bevo (Texas)

Big East	Butler Blue (Butler) Jack the Bulldog (Georgetown)

Conference USA	Tech (Louisiana Tech)

Ivy League	Handsome Dan (Yale)

Independent	Army Mules (Army)

Mountain West	Aurora (Air Force) CAM the Ram (Colorado State)

Pac-12	Ralphie the Buffalo (Colorado) Traveler (Southern California) Dubs (Washington)

SEC	Tusk (Arkansas) War Eagle (Auburn) Uga (Georgia) Blue (Kentucky) Mike the Tiger (LSU) Bully (Mississippi State) Sir Big Spur (South Carolina) Smokey (Tennessee) Reveille (Texas A&M)

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