No. 9: Billy Cunningham

9

Name: Billy Cunningham

Position: Forward

Jersey #: 32

Years: 1962-65

Honors: 2-time All-America; 1965 ACC player of the Year; 3-time All-ACC; Naismith Hall of Fame; Jersey No. 32 is honored in the Smith Center

Notable Stats: 2nd highest career scoring average (24.8) at UNC; Highest career rebounding average (15.4) at Carolina; The 5th, 7th and 9th highest single-season scoring averages in school history; Had single-game highs of 48 points in Dec. 1964 and 27 rebounds versus Clemson in Feb. 1963; 4th all-time at UNC with 1,062 career rebounds; 16th all-time at UNC with 1,709 career points; Shot 47.6 percent from the field for his career.

In Closing: The Kangaroo Kid, Cunningham is one of the most entertaining Tar Heels of all time. An acrobat, rangy and super aggressive, he was always the alpha dog on the court. The Heels didn’t play in any postseasons or win the ACC regular season or tournament during Cunningham’s career, but he was an important player nonetheless. Dean Smith’s first star player, Cunningham is remembered for ripping down from a tree Smith hanging in effigy after a loss at Wake Forest in 1965. He has the 2nd, 3rd and 4th highest single-game rebounding marks in UNC history. Recorded a double-double in an NCAA-record 40 consecutive games. An academic All-America. Named in 2003 as one of the ACC’s 50 greatest players of all time. There's no denying Cunningham's greatness as a Tar Heel.

Prior Ranked Heels

30 - Brice Johnson

29 - Ed Cota

28 - Pete Brennan

27 - Mike O'Koren

26 - John "Hook" Dillon

25 - J.R. Reid

24 - Bobby Jones

23 - Brad Daugherty

22 - Raymond Felton

21 - Jerry Stackhouse

20 - Sean May

19 - Kenny Smith

18 - Joseph Forte

17 - Mitch Kupchak

16 - Ty Lawson

15 - Walter Davis

14 - George Glamack

13 - Bob Lewis

12 - Jack Cobb

11 - Al Wood

10 - Sam Perkins