June Tar Heel History

June 1, 1859
President James Buchanan delivered the Commencement address at UNC on June 1, 1859. Buchanan spent two days in Chapel Hill addressing students, meeting with University and state officials, and attending a large reception under UNC's famed Davie Poplar.

June 2, 1897
"Hark the Sound," UNC's alma mater, was performed for the first time at the Commencement ceremony on June 2, 1897. Based on the Italian tune "Amici," the lyrics were written by UNC student W.S. Myers.

June 2, 1913
"Silent Sam," a statue of a Civil War Confederate soldier, was unveiled on UNC's campus in 1913 as a memorial to the 321 alumni who lost their lives in the American Civil War and all students who joined the Confederate States Army. More than one thousand members of the University fought in the Civil War for either the Northern or Southern armies.

June 11, 1997
Michael Jordan plays Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz while suffering from the Flu. Jordan played 44 minutes, finishing the game with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in a 90-88 win. His performance would go down as one of the most heroic in NBA history in what would forever become known as "The Flu Game."

June 11, 2006
Chad Flack hits a game-winning, two-run home run in the ninth inning to give UNC a dramatic 8-7 win over Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional. The Tar Heels advance to the College World Series after the two teams combined for three home runs and nine RBI in final three at-bats.

June 11, 2022
Freshman centerfielder Vance Honeycutt hits his 25th home run of the season to become UNC's all-time single-season home run leader in UNC's 4-1 loss to Arkansas in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium.

June 14, 1938
Gerald Ford began taking classes at UNC on June 14, 1938. The athletic future president, a Navy ensign at the time, was sent to Chapel Hill to help with physical fitness training for cadets at UNC's pre-flight training school. Ford also helped coach UNC’s football, boxing and swimming teams.

June 14, 1998
On June 14, 1998, Michael Jordan concluded his storybook career with the perfect ending. Jordan’s ridiculous crossover sent Byron Russell flying and gave the GOAT enough space to break Utah's hearts with a last-second championship winner in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

June 19, 1984
The Chicago Bulls draft future Hall of Fame guard Michael Jordan with the third pick on June 19, 1984. The Houston Rockets select future Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon with first pick and the Portland Trail Blazers choose Sam Bowie, who averaged 10 points over his 11-year career, with the second.

June 25, 1963
On June 25, 1963, the N.C. General Assembly rushed through the Speaker Ban law. The bill prohibited speeches on state campuses by members of the Communist Party, persons advocating overthrow of the constitution and individuals who had pleaded the Fifth Amendment about related topics. The target of the ban was UNC-Chapel Hill. In many people's minds, UNC was associated with liberals, the left and Communism.

June 28, 2005
Carolina becomes the first school to have four lottery selections in one NBA Draft as Marvin Williams (2), Raymond Felton (5), Sean May (13) and Rashad McCants (14) go in the first 14 picks.

June 29, 1905
Former UNC baseball player Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham appears as a right fielder for the New York Giants in his only major league game. His story was popularized by "Shoeless Joe", a novel by W. P. Kinsella, and the 1989 film Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner.