5/3/2016 football Edit

No. 29: Jack Merritt

If not for Jack Merritt's physical approach in the 1920s, Rameses may not be a part of UNC lore.

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. 29

Name: Jack Merritt

Position: RB

Jersey #: 2

Years: 1921-22

Honors: NA

Notable Stats: NA

In Closing: In 1922, UNC went 9-1 and was led by a bruising fullback named Jack Merritt. Merritt captivated fellow students and quickly became the big man on campus and earned the nickname “The Battering Ram” because of the way he played the game. Sometimes, Merritt would simply run full throttle ahead into opposing players, head down trying to run them over. Hence, the nickname.

In 1924, head cheerleader, Vic Huggins, decided that because rivals N.C. State (a wolf) and Georgia (bulldog) had mascots, Carolina needed one, too. After considering some other suggestions, he chose a ram because of Merritt. Soon after, the ram was named Rameses, and has grown into one of the great traditions in college sports and is a big part of the university.

The 1922 team won the Southern Conference championship and finished No. 11 by the L.B. Thomas rankings.

From UNC’s 1977 football media guide: “Jack Merritt's name may not be as familiar to Carolina football fans as Charlie Justice's or Don McCauley's. But the bruising fullback on the 1922 team played just as important a role in establishing a sound Tar Heel tradition as either Choo-Choo or No. 23.”