The star of UNC’s 1922 football team was a fullback by the name of Jack Merrit. Jack’s tough performance on the field earned him the nickname of “the Battering Ram,” which in turn inspired UNC cheerleader Vic Huggins to organize a new mascot for the school: a live ram. The university agreed to pay $25 for a ram from Texas, and “Rameses” made his sideline debut at the UNC-VMI game on November 8th, 1924.

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