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UNC is having another behind the scenes battle.<\/p>\n
Over the years, various conflicts and controversies erupted over the Carolina football and basketball programs.<\/p>\n
When Roy Wiliams turned down the job in 2000, Matt Doherty\u2019s tenure turned from a top-ranked team to an 8-20 disaster. Thankfully, Ol\u2019 Roy could not say no to Dean Smith a second time, and three national championships in 12 years followed his return.<\/p>\n
The Butch Davis debacle led to an investigation, an eventual NCAA probation and an academic-athletic scandal that lasted seven years and is still a punchline for the ABC (Anyone But Carolina) crowd.<\/p>\n
Mack Brown was a two-time savior but twice angrily left the football program when UNC could have kept him with a little more money in 1997 and a cushy fund-raising job in 2024, when he again fled Chapel Hill for Austin.<\/p>\n
And then came Bill Belichick, whose six Super Bowl championships in the NFL didn\u2019t match bowl bids in each of Brown\u2019s last six seasons; since the Hoodie arrived some now believe they would rather have Brown back instead of 4-8 and a 24-year-old girlfriend.<\/p>\n
And just as it appears Belichick will take his second $10 million season, a skirmish has begun over the Dean Smith Center moving off campus to the old Chapel Hill Airport site on MLK Boulevard.<\/p>\n
Though no official announcement has been made, it sure looks like Chancellor (and Duke graduate) Lee Roberts is leaning in that direction, although he says he is still open to another option whether his bosses in Raleigh will let him do something that may cost less money but with no foreseeable profit in the long run.<\/p>\n
While the student vote opposes taking the Dean Dome off campus, the students have been losing such battles since they lost their courtside seating when the $36 million arena opened in 1986.<\/p>\n
But now a special group of alumni has weighed in, those who wore shorts and won hundreds of games under Smith and Roy Williams. They have named themselves the \u201cCommittee for a South Campus Arena,\u201d which doesn\u2019t necessarily mean \u201cSave the Smith Center.\u201d<\/p>\n
It could mean renovating it or building it somewhere that maintains the tradition of a walk and traffic jam to games. Roberts thinks an off-campus site with hotels, commercial and retail will make money for the town and university despite a small consumer base.<\/p>\n
The committee of nearly 100 includes Coach Roy and names like Kupchak, Lynch, Hansbrough, Larry Brown and others, many of whom held a Zoom call with Roberts recently, expressing their anxious opposition, along with some trustees, and well-healed alumni who want to keep their rights to buy season tickets without having to pay millions more than they have cost over for 40 years.<\/p>\n
Smith is long gone, but most of his precious players who loved to change offenses and defenses are still at it.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/chapelboroaudio.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/2026\/01%20-%20January\/08\/Art%27s%20Notebook%20010826%20-%20FINAL.mp3<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Featured image via UNC-Chapel Hill\/Jon Gardiner<\/p>\n Chapelboro.com<\/a>\u00a0does not charge subscription fees, and you can\u00a0directly support our efforts in local journalism\u00a0here<\/a>. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by\u00a0signing up for our newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \u2039<\/p>\n Danny Talbott, a two-sport athlete at the University of North Carolina and member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 75. Media outlets report that Talbott died Sunday morning at his home in Rocky Mount. Talbott played varsity baseball and football for the Tar [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> A bill that would allow alcohol to be sold at athletics events on campuses across the UNC System is awaiting the governor\u2019s signature to become law. And UNC \u2013 Chapel Hill officials appear eager to see its approval. The North Carolina House overwhelmingly voted this week to approve the Senate version of the bill. Advocates [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> UNC hosts its Basketball Analytics summit this weekend.<\/p>\n <\/a> A Mecklenburg County judge has dismissed a lawsuit in which two former University of North Carolina athletes alleged the school failed to provide them and other athletes a quality education by directing them toward sham classes. Superior Court Judge Richard Ervin cited arguments by attorneys representing UNC that said both the statute of limitations and [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> Nine UNC administrators were given raises by the university Board of Trustees during the meeting on Thursday. Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham received the biggest raise to $642,268, a $58,388 bump \u2013 which is a 10 percent increase over his previous salary. The raises were part of the consent agenda at the full board meeting after [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> Another lawsuit has been filed alleging UNC did not provide a proper college education to its student athletes. A class action lawsuit was filed in Durham County on Thursday afternoon. WCHL\u2019s Blake Hodge spoke with Attorney Bob Orr who filed the suit. You can listen to that interview here.<\/p>\n <\/a> Plates were full for administrators, faculty, and students at UNC this holiday season, with commencement, final exams, and reviews from the UNC System Board of Governors. There was certainly a lot to cover on Friday, and Chancellor Folt made an effort to touch on everything in front of the Faculty Council. She encouraged as many [\u2026]<\/p>\n <\/a> UNC Chancellor Carol Folt says the big decisions about athletics that ultimately affect the University come down to the chancellor.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767905712_748_7E3A5203-ART-FROM-SP-e1695821282606-150x150.jpg\")
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers\u00a0\u201cGame Changers,\u201d \u201cBlue Bloods,\u201d and \u201cThe Dean\u2019s List.\u201d He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His\u00a0\u201cSports Notebook\u201d commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his \u201cArt\u2019s Angle\u201d opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Talbott_Runs_Logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
Former UNC Athlete Talbott Dead of Cancer at 75<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/UNC-vs.-Duke-007.jpg\"\/)
UNC – Chapel Hill Monitoring Bill that would Allow Alcohol Sales at Athletics Events<\/p>\nAt UNC, The Science Of Basketball<\/p>\n
Judge Dismisses Student-Athlete Lawsuit Against UNC<\/p>\n
UNC AD Cunningham Receives 10% Salary Hike<\/p>\n
Another Lawsuit Filed Against UNC by Former Student Athletes<\/p>\n
Temporary Process To Report Suspicious Academic Activities Unveiled<\/p>\n
Chancellor Folt Involved In Hairston Discussion<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26003731852821-scaled.jpg\"\/)
UNC Men’s Basketball vs. Wake Forest (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/000923_mbb_ncsu_unc020-scaled.jpg\"\/)
Chansky’s Notebook: Save the Dean Dome!<\/p>\n