5/30/2016 football Edit

No. 1: Charlie Justice

Perhaps no UNC athlete has ever held the kind of star status as a Tar Heel that Justice did in the late 1940s.

Andrew Jones • TarHeelIllustrated

Publisher

Andrew Jones has covered sports for 26 years, including all major college & professional sports for daily newspapers & national sites. He's done radio and TV & is entering his seventh year at THI.

No. 1

Name: Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice

Position: Halfback

Jersey #: 22

Years: 1946-49

Honors: College Football Hall of Fame; 4-time AP All-America; 1948 Walter Camp Memorial Trophy (best player in college football); 1948 National Player of the Year (Washington Touchdown Club);

Notable Stats: 4,883 total yards; 53 combined touchdowns (28 rushing, 25 passing); 42.6 punting average; 14.2 punt return average.

In Closing: Justice was the only two-time runner-up for the Heisman Trophy until Arkansas’ Darren McFadden fell short twice a decade ago. Justice was UNC’s all-time total yardage leader until the early 1990s, as he did everything for the Tar Heels. He ran and passed and even punted for UNC, helping lead the program to its best four-year stretch ever. Carolina finished nationally ranked in all four seasons, including top-10 finishes in three consecutive seasons. In addition, Justice led Carolina to its only major bowl appearances – two Sugar Bowls and one Cotton Bowl.

An AP All-American in each season, Justice was known for his ability to scramble out of any situation and dodge tackles, which is where the nickname “Choo Choo” came from. He delighted fans so much even a song was produced about him, All The Way Choo Choo, a book and even the main character for Frank Deford’s book, Everybody’s All-American, which was turned into a movie starring Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange. A terrific player for the Navl base team at Bainbridge, MD, before arriving at UNC, Justice is honored by a larger-than-life statue in front of the Kenan Football Center. Carolina was 32-9-2 during his four seasons. Justice’s jersey No. 22 is retired by UNC.

Prior Ranked Heels

30 - Natrone Means

29 - Jack Merritt

28 - Landon Turner

27 - Chris Hanburger

26 - Jeff Saturday

25 - Bob Lacey

24 - Bracey Walker

23 - Ethan Horton

22 - Brian Blados

21 - Leon Johnson

20 - George Barclay