Bill Belichick, North Carolina Throw Back to Historic Season

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Grant Chachere | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Whether you are a North Carolina fan or not, you have to admit that the Tar Heels have one of the best uniform combinations in college football.

Carolina Blue has defined its athletic programs in not only football but basketball, baseball and its Olympic sports as well, making it one of the most recognizable color schemes in college sports. The Carolina Blue uniforms are also recognized for its interlocking “N” and “C” in big block letters on its helmets.

Argyle patterns run down the sides of the pants and along the collar of the jersey, which is a nod to the basketball program’s iconic uniforms. There’s also an all-white uniform combo as well with an icy white helmet to go along with it.

However, this season there will be a new uniform combo and it will give old-school North Carolina fans some nostalgia. According to a report from Inside Carolina, UNC head coach Bill Belichick has ordered uniforms that resemble the uniforms that were worn by the iconic 1980 North Carolina Tar Heel squad that won the school’s last ACC Championship.

History Made

Bill Belichick and North Carolina have ordered throwback uniforms from the 1980 season, when the Tar Heels finished 11-1, with the hope of debuting them this season, according to sources at @InsideCarolina. pic.twitter.com/J8Wcqivpym
— Taylor Vippolis (@tvippolis) August 6, 2025

The uniforms have oversized block numbers that cover most of the jersey on both the chest and back, making it nearly impossible to miss which player on the field made the play — even from the press box. Each shoulder bears outward-facing digits which will be easily noticeable from the sideline, while a pair of bold rings circle both sleeves to finish off the 1980s vibe.

The most unique thing about the uniform is the retro U-N-C “stair-step” logo on the Carolina blue helmet, a nostalgic nod to one of the program’s greatest teams and was added to the helmet because then-head coach Dick Crum wanted to distinguish the football team from the other athletic programs on campus.

Dick Crum wanted to distinguish his team from other UNC sports so he created the “stair-step” UNC in the 1980s. pic.twitter.com/GVAhlQsj0z
— Lee Pace (@LeePaceTweet) April 22, 2015

The 1980 Carolina team went 11-1 and won the outright ACC title in Crum’s third season on the job, which is still the last time the Tar Heels won the conference. After its 16-7 victory over Texas in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, the Tar Heels finished in the Top 10 in both the AP (No. 10) and Coaches' Poll (No. 9)

Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was a captain on the team and he led the way with a school-record 16 sacks during the 1980 campaign. Taylor was a consensus All-American and went second overall in the 1981 NFL Draft.

Belichick was Taylor’s position coach from 1981 to 1984 with the New York Giants before becoming the defensive coordinator, helping the franchise win two Super Bowls.

The team also had two 1,000-yard rushers in Calvin Bryant and Amos Lawrence – who were both First-Team All-ACC selections – as well as another first-round pick in defensive lineman Donnell Thompson who went 16th overall to the Baltimore Colts in the 1981 NFL Draft.

Could we see the uniforms debut on Labor Day night when North Carolina takes on TCU? One could hope, but we will see them at some point this season.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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