100 Years of Rameses
UNC’s beloved mascot celebrates a century of inspiring Tar Heels everywhere
Story by Kelly Collins | Published August 27, 2024
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Rameses as the mascot for Carolina. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is proud to sponsor the celebration of this milestone this football season.
To those who do not bleed Carolina blue, it might seem odd for the Tar Heels to have a ram as a mascot. We have cheerleader Vic Huggins to thank for creating the tradition of Rameses.
In 1924, during a down year for the football team, Huggins had the idea to buy a ram mascot. “In 1924 school spirit was at a peak,” Huggins once explained. “But something seemed to be missing. One day it hit me. State had a wolf. What Carolina needed was a symbol.”
He chose a ram from the nickname of star fullback Jack Merritt, known as the “Battering Ram,” who two years prior led the Tar Heels to a 9-1 season. The athletic business manager agreed to give Huggins $25 to purchase a mascot, and Rameses I was shipped in from Texas. A tradition was born.
For the past 100 years, a live Dorset Horn Sheep with his horns painted Carolina blue from the same lineage as the first Rameses has graced the sidelines of Kenan Memorial Stadium. In 1936, Henry Hogan, a former UNC football player, took over the caretaking of Rameses at his family’s farm.
Before each home football game this season, fans will have the opportunity to pet and take photos with Rameses XXII, the 22nd descendant of the ram, in “The Ram Pen” at the Bell Tower from two hours prior to kickoff until one hour prior to kickoff.
Rameses will be joined at The Ram Pen by his cousin Pharmeses, the official mascot of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Pharmeses came to the School from Amina’s Gift, a charity that supports children in Africa by commissioning works from local artists to buy children necessities like food, clothing, medication, and transportation to local clinics.
Fans visiting The Ram Pen will also have the chance to win swag, sign an anniversary card for Rameses, and take a picture as UNC football legend and former School of Pharmacy Dean Vernon Howell. In 1898, Dean Howell played on the only unbeaten football team in UNC history. Playing with a broken finger and nose, he made a 40-yard run through the entire Virginia team for a touchdown to win the game 6-2.
At the UNC vs. Pitt game on October 5, Dean Angela Kashuba will join Rameses for an on-field celebration of the 100th anniversary.
“I love that Rameses symbolizes strength, determination, and calm in the face of chaos,” says Dean Angela Kashuba. “It is our great honor to have the nation’s top-ranked pharmacy school support this special milestone of the mascot who is so important to Tar Heels.”